Author: Barsuk

Julian Marley closed the first edition of the Vibes Festival in Playa del Carmen with energy and spirituality that characterize the entire Marley family. At the end we had the chance to chat a bit with him, a person easily, well put feet on Earth, positive and above all idealistic and motivated to create a better world through the message of the music.

Here the interview for PelaGatos

The first edition of the Monterrey City Fest was a success. A very pleased line-up and varied for all tastes with bands powerful as Caloncho, Siddhartha and Porter and international artists such as Travis, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Azealia Banks, Hardwell, Charli XCX, Vicentico, Of Montreal, bad Rodriguez Cafres, Bomba Estéreo Deftones, and the latter the reason for my trip to my home city Ranch.

Thanks to my brother, I was part of the epicenter press team and these are the best photos.

Deftones

Life is strange, full of random and happens sometimes that the world itself is inspired and conjures so so talented minds, those that are normally solitary geniuses, come together and change the course of the same planet in some way.

A pair of Jamaicans is first going to the Bronx, where a guy named Peter Phillips, better known as Pete Rock is born. I stop here to make a parenthesis and say to those who know and those who don't, know that saying this name automatically a list of notes could be made senoron producer and any prominence in Hip Hop (Gang Starr, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, say some), I think it only say that after releasing "The Main Ingredient" together with his brother CL Smooth (also legend) began its single project.

Meanwhile, the cousin of Pete Rock, Grap Luva began rhymes with Rob-O and I Love H.I.M. more intermittent Marco Polo, where more than New York… Westchester County to be exact. A lyric based on the status of the African-American New Yorker from the 90's (not easy) combined with an ideology rastafari voices serious and well toned, with the background of parts of Pete Rock which mixed from soul to jazz with fine and relaxed sounds and a beat with much punch. A journey of groove… Dope as fuck.

The guys join Pete Rock Soul Brother Records and signed with Elektra for distribution… Hit or error? We will not never know but all a soap opera was with material for interpreted by the Fakin' Hollywood Jamie Foxx as Pete Rock and some mine style Cruella de Vil as Sylvia Rhone, Elektra A & R. I'll tell you the story…

The disc opens with "Midnight Ravers" of Mr Marley and the Wailers, an intro that prepares us for the other about 25 music legends that were used for the mixing of the masterpiece. Personally my favorite is the third, "Step Up" produced by Grap Luva, wave stripe in the soft and fine with the violins of "It's too late to turn back" Jackie Mittoo and the constant Stepstepstepstepupfront taken from "Bumpin Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lighting to be seeding forever in your mind. "Think twice", powerful lyric, "The Life I Live" expresses the anguish of the African-American ghetto and the classic "Fakin' 'Jax', here is where to enter Sylvia to history.

Turns out that after recording the album a man called Dante Ross was replaced from his post of Artist & Repertoire (A & R) of Elektra by Sylvia Rhone, who did not share the vision of Pete in Soul Brother and simply decides that disc is not a priority, is beginning to bring people of Elektra as solo cards and simply check the disc drawer (Shelf it) being "Fakin" Jax "the single crumb that was official.

Much had to see this song so anyway "Center of Attention" to become one of the most famous bootlegs in HipHop history, influencing thousands rappers, soul and I dare say that to jazz musicians.

After "Center of Attention" was put on stand-by, so forgotten by Elektra, the band disintegrated and Grap Luva Rob-O the only ones who continued with individual projects. The first producing singles and albums (DJ Spinna, Lone Catalyst, Marley Marl) and the second by making several singles until in 2006 he released "Rhyme Pro", a disc with these old themes.

The denouement of the novel was finally that, in 2000, BBE Records releases "Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics" Pete Rock where include InI "Center of Attention", that although living words of ronco chest of Pete Rock album will never see the light as he wanted, at least we can make Play vinyl , CD, mp3 or whatever with an official quality to listen to it over and over again, inspire us with letters and float with the pace, so make yourself comfortable and Enjoy it!

Reggae is present in Latin America, having different scenes in each of the countries and regions. One of the special and unique regions in the continent for many reasons is the Hispanic Caribbean, specifically that of the Mexican Caribbean.

We had a long and outstretched talk with Jorge Vallejos, better known as Dubcomander, pioneer of Reggae in the Riviera Maya, which served as a catapult for the scene throughout Mexico and speak a little bit of everything, his life, music, projects, the history of reggae in the Riviera and of course "La Caldera", its historical study.

Born in Acapulco, playense from the 4 years, the coastal began playing salsa and Caribbean rhythms such as socca and calypso. While in the Yucatan peninsula they began to reach people in the West Indies. Cuban and Jamaican mainly began to influence the younger area of Mexico.

"It all started with the first band of reggae in Spanish in Mexico, Splash after Marley covers," says Dubcomander. Shortly after, in 1994 it begins as bassist with the legendary bands and pioneers in the area, Bushman. Legendary mixing the Steel drum with Reggae, a cheerful sound, African rhythms and lyrics with a high load of human consciousness, something that didn't sound very much for those dates. The guys were on tour in Europe 4 times, based in Barcelona, where he recorded an album, achieving influence later bands and winning a place in the history of Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya, putting an end to this first stage in 2004 in his last presentation on Mamitas Beach Club at the festival of reggae and calypso.

During those years he participated with local bands such as planet Earth, in the same way began working with Lotus Rock local band that began to produce in his Studio, so was born "the boiler"… as I talk to more about this soon.

Bushman was paused, the boiler remained in action producing and Mr Vallejos spent more and more time in the machines… Thus was born Dubcomander. On the basis of their more important as Burning Spear, Mad Professor and Belizean beats influences began to make Sound System. Drum n Bass and dub, the Socca is occasionally sound which prints you alone or accompanied. Shares in the vibrations Festival, opening act of legends as Mad Professor, interventions with Queen Omega and countless appearances in the area, to mention something in these 5 years as Dubcomander of the 15 making music.

The strongest Dubcomander project is a Duet with another promise/reality of the scene in the Riviera Maya, Sistah Freedom. The commanding the beat, her booming the speaker with his precious voice. A dub of the Sistah Freedom most recent disc version and a disc of dub to yoga (if I think the dub can take you to nirvana) are the next projects door.

Dubcomander & Sistah Freedom

The boiler is not only a study, by where's been great bands including Cultura Profética, Ganja, Ras Cocoman and several local area bands, but also a place where have been conducted reggae parties more playenses over ten years, always in a "private" manner, i.e. not comericialmente, to avoid problems with Babylon in a place away from the hustle and bustle of tourism exploited envelope and clubs to create a bubble of good vibes and good music. Of those corners that bloom in living culture and rhythm.