Having been on a hiatus from the music industry for quite some time, singer Bascom X is making his return, penning his signature on a contract with Gyptian's label Just 1 Records. Bascom X, who gained popularity with Lonely Girl in 2004, explained that he stopped recording for three years. He said he made a conscious decision to stop recording with some of the local producers years ago. "Mi did stop record for most of the producers. After a time you learn about the business and some producers break your vibe," he said. Last year, however, he said he started touring with long-time friend Gyptian, going to places in Africa, United States, Europe and the Caribbean. "Mi did kinda tek myself out of music. Mi did haffi get my thing together and now I'm settled. Where better fi start than fi start wid family. Him know my weak points and how fi draw mi out," Bascom X told The Gleaner. Now that he is back, Bascom X says he is promoting new songs likeStruggling and Commitment (a Garnett Silk cover). "Mi just go back inna di studio and start record so you have a new vibe and a more mature sound. The vocals get better and mi see things more clearly," he said. Although he is signed to Gyptian's label, Bascom X says he understands that he still has to work very hard to regain his place in the industry. put in the work "I just hope for the best working with Gyptian. I have to bear in mind that he has his career also, so mi haffi put in the work," he said. Bascom X further explained that most of his songs were hits overseas so he intends to do the work in Jamaica. "The people asking for me so all you have to do is do your best. Do the promotion and interviews and be in the public's eyes," he said. But high on his agenda is getting the Jamaican youth to listen to and accept him. "You haffi get back inna di likkle school yute dem brain. From dem love you, you win," Bascom X told The Gleaner. Source The Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140305/ent/ent2.html
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KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Season 5 winner of NBC’s The Voice is among a list of accomplished women to perform at the White House, ONLINE OBSERVER has learnt. As part of their “In Performance at the White House” series, the President and First Lady will invite music legends and contemporary major female artists to the White House for a celebration of the great “foremothers” of American music, with songs expressing the struggles and achievements of women, according to a report. The programme will include performances by Tessanne Chin, Melissa Etheridge, Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Patti LaBelle, Janelle Monáe, and Jill Scott, with Greg Phillinganes as music director. “Women of Soul: In Performance at the White House will be broadcast Monday, April 7 at 9:00 PM ET on PBS stations across the US. Source Jamaica Observer: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Tessanne-to-perform-at-the-White-House immy Cliff has set up three UK shows for August 2014. Cliff released his latest studio album ‘Rebirth’ in 2012, his first full length in seven years. The album picked up the award for Best Reggae Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Catch him performing at Leeds O2 Academy, London Clapham Grand and Bristol O2 Academy on August 18, 19 and 20. Jimmy Cliff UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows Mon August 18 2014 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds Tue August 19 2014 - LONDON Clapham Grand Wed August 20 2014 - BRISTOL O2 Academy BristolJimmy Cliff Tickets are on sale from 9am on Friday March 7, priced from £25 and £28.50 plus fees. Click Here to Compare & Buy Jimmy Cliff Tickets at Stereoboard.com. Source Stereoboard.com http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/184391/9? “One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right” Bob Marley When a Miami startup wanted to demonstrate the global power of its new consumer video social platform, Videoo.com turned to the passionate fans of the late Bob Marley. Through a partnership with the Marley family, Videoo.com launched its project during Bob Marley Week last month, inviting fans to submit their tributes to what CEO Barry Stamos called the first crowd-sourced video compilation. More than 100 Bob Marley fans or groups of fans from more than 62 countries — including Australia, Argentina, the U.K., Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine — contributed video clips about how Bob Marley impacted their lives, said Heidi Finn Roberts, the company’s chief product officer. Also working on the product were Chief Content Officer Jorge Moreno, a Latin Grammy winner, and COO Joshua Stedman. Contributions to http://videooapp.com/h/BobMarleyWeek came from fans, musicians, artists and celebrities. Videoo’s proprietary technology automatically compiled the clips into one single social video compilation for #BobMarleyWeek, Finn Roberts said. “It's really beautiful how it came together,” said Stamos, who founded companies as well as held management positions for tech firms. “Bob Marley’s vision of one world, one love is a dream that inspired many, including us at Videoo, which is why our team is so excited this is the first-use case with our technology. It demonstrated how fast and easy the world can unite in mass collaboration to do something extraordinary.” People from more than 177 countries watched these videos on Videoo.com. And on the Bob Marley official Facebook page, more than 29,000 have already liked and 3,900 people have shared a Videoo highlight compilation showcasing the #BobMarley Videoo. The highlight video has already attracted 16,000 views. Videoo users can contribute up to 22-second clips through the app. In fact, any user can go to videoo.com and upload a video and hashtag it. “The whole idea is to make it radically inclusive whether or not you have a smartphone. Anyone with a web connection can upload,” Stamos said. However, the system limits the file sizes it can accept, and not everyone who has wanted to contribute to the Marley video has been able to. The team is working to fix that now. Plans are to have robust private label versions of Videoo available for brands, but the app will always be for consumers and will always be free, said Stamos. The company hopes that families, friends, organizations and causes will use the app for commorations of family events, high school reunions, prayers for a loved one. Fans can still add to the Bob Marley Videoo as well as another compilation, #BringBaeBack, calling for the release of Korean American Kenneth Bae held in North Korea. That Videoo was kicked off by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of reddit, who spoke last month at a Refresh Miami event. The co-founders said Ohanian was one of their inspirations as reddit always was and is about innovating crowd sourcing, aggregation and crowd curation. Source Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/03//v-fullstory/3972283/miami-tech-startup-enables-global.html? Contributions to the video came from fans, musicians, artists and celebrities. Videoo’s proprietary technology automatically compiled the clips into one single social video compilation for #BobMarleyWeek It is no surprise that reggae music, much like Rastafari, has gone beyond race and nationality. The universal message, which promotes equality and love for all, has certainly transcended Jamaican shores and has found residence with Benjamin Zecher and his Oneness Records label. The German producer told The Gleaner he initially fell in love with reggae as a child when he heard the universal message of love being promoted in Robert Nesta Marley's music. "I was a young rebel at that time and I liked the rebel attitude and fell in love with the song, War. The meditative side of the music caught me immediately. The drumming caught me at that time. I loved the music so much that I began playing the music as a DJ. After I finished school, I went on my first trip to Jamaica and stayed for three months. That was when Zim Zimma and Buju Banton's Inna Heights were booming. It was Sizzla Kalonji and Anthony B coming. The music was really alive at that time. That was the first revival for me and that influenced me a lot. I love the universal message," Zecher said. Aiming to find young talent who have been influenced by reggae, Zecher coined the concept of his label. The world was waiting Having worked with some of the genre's top artistes, including Luciano and Junior Kelly, Zecher is now hoping to work with younger artistes who are part of the reggae revival movement. He added that the world was waiting for Jamaica to get back to its musical side. "I'm looking forward to the reggae revival artistes like Chronixx, Protoje and Jah 9. What I like about it is the vibe. The whole energy is about music, it's not about the hype. They have young producers that do a great job. I would love to work with them also, but for me, it's overwhelming to see how they put out their work. I think the whole world appreciates that. I think the whole world was waiting for Jamaica to get back to that musical side. Not saying that it was not there, but the expression of these young artistes is very natural." Zecher also speaks out against growing concerns that music sales are decreasing, because for him, that was never the motivation. "The point is that you work hard at something, then everything else will follow. If you do things from your heart, the energy and everything else will follow." While he acknowledges that the industry had changed for both good and bad, he highlights that one of the benefits now is the openness of the industry. "The whole music industry has changed. I wouldn't judge it. It has good and bad sides. The benefit now is that there are a lot of opportunities to spread your music without label deals - the Internet gives you that opportunity," he told The Gleaner. The German reggae scene has been thriving for years, with some of the biggest reggae festivals, including Reggae Jam, attracting thousands of patrons yearly with several reggae acts billed as top performers. With this in mind, Zecher stated that his wish for the industry is that it will get the attention it deserves. "I hope that the industry doesn't kill the vibe with the hype," Zecher said. Source The Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140303/ent/ent2.html? WESTERN BUREAU:Jimmy Cliff, this year's Gleaner Honour Award winner for Arts and Culture, is back in Jamaica to shoot some video elements for his latest release Won More.
To give fresh currency to the tune, Cliff has joined forces with the world's fastest man and woman, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who provide backing vocals on the song which was first heard in Jamaica at The Gleaner Honour Awards ceremony in February. Cliff utilised the services of Mediamix to shoot the scenes with Fraser-Pryce, outside the recording studio owned by Cliff. The scenes were directed by Cliff's childhood friend and cousin, Lennie Little-White. The sequences with Usain Bolt were shot earlier by a British film crew which was visiting Jamaica. Won More was produced by Jimmy Cliff and veteran producer Ansel Collins. The new tune and the matching music video are slated for worldwide release soon. Won More tells about the many horizons that Cliff feels he still has to reach in the musical challenges he has set for himself. The track was recorded at Cliff's own Sunpower Recording Studio, using Jamaican musicians and engineers. The infectious beat of the music has a catchy, singalong chorus, which easily bridges the generational gap between the veteran Jamaican and international music icon and the young international stars of track and field, Fraser-Pryce and Bolt. Despite more than 50 years in the music business, Cliff continues to reinvent himself to make his music relevant to newer generations. The Mediamix production team was comprised of the same crew which does location work for The Blackburns of Royal Palm Estate. Source the Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140302/ent/ent6.html? BIO ChainSka Brassika are a 9 piece ska-fuelled, energetic reggae and dub band from South East London. Their lively old-school ska sound combines with the skank of today’s bass culture and commands any audience to get up and dance. Over the summer of 2013, following the release of their first single ‘This I Know’, ChainSka appeared at major UK festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, One Love and Boomtown Fair and supported the likes of The Skatalities and The Abyssinians. The band are now currently focusing on finishing their forthcoming E.P set to be released in December 2013, following a full UK tour. A musician by profession, Dexter Blake, owner of Linkage Radio in New York, says he has first-hand knowledge of the struggles artistes face. So in 2010, he started the Linkage Awards to show artistes they were appreciated. Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner recently, Blake, who also goes by the alias 'Linkage, said he was a drummer for many years', and during that time, "I've seen first hand a lot of what Jamaican artistes go through without any real recognition". In the beginning, he said the New York-based show focused on some of the veteran acts in the industry, honouring persons such as Dawn Penn, Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Freddie McGregor and Ken Boothe. Eventually, he said the show started to recognise persons in media, as well as some of the younger musicians and artistes in reggae and dancehall. "We involve the young and the old to make it a blend," Blake told The Sunday Gleaner. For this year's award show, there is long list of nominees including I-Octane, Mavado, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Tifa, Macka Diamond, Lady Saw, Spice, Beres Hammond, Shaggy, Jah Cure, Romain Virgo,Tessanne Chin, Etana, Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, Carlene Davis, Omari and others. high voting numbers Blake noted that the winners will be determined based on votes on the Linkage Radio website, linkageradio.com. He said he expects the voting numbers to be high because each category last year got upwards of 20,000 votes. With the voting expected to go well, Blake said he expects the show to do well when it is held on May 3 at Evander Childs High School in Bronx, New York. In the first year of the show, he said more than 2,000 tickets were sold and the sales increased steadily until last year's staging when it snowed. Blake explained that based on the snow that caused the poor turnout last year, he decided to stage the event in May instead of March. "We moved it to May because the weather is friendlier that time. We also moved it to Bronx which is central. We expect 4,000 persons, and already we have sold 1,000 tickets," he said, said noting that Ernie Smith will be performing on the show. "It's an annual thing, I never drop the flavour. It is a red-carpet affair. I just hope to have one of the best award shows and to gain even more sponsorship. I want the show to go mainstream." Blake added that he wants as many Jamaicans as possible to participate and vote for their favourites. Source Jamaica Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140302/ent/ent8.html BIO Vocalist- Kemwa Kemwa is from Antigua,the village of Old Road.....Kemwa has been expressing his love of music through Reggae since he was six years old. Kemwa's influence is J.R. Reid. After attending a J.R. Reid concert, Kemwa realized it was his lifes dream too follow his path and become a cultured Reggae artist. Kemwa's entire family was already deeply rooted in the Reggae community so the inspiration was alive in Kemwa through out his life... Kemwa then left the beautiful island of Antigua and relocated to the big city of Jacksonville, Flordia. It is there that Kemwa formed the band Chillakaya, a rich blend of Reggae culture and creative vibes..... .. ONE dancehall entertainer is calling for better lyrical content and improved writing from his industry mates. Deejay G Monei, who has worked as road manager for acts including Mr Vegas and Hawkeye, says lack of quality in that area is the reason dancehall music is not selling. "Many artistes don't recognise that writing lyrics for the 'corner' is different than writing for the world. I travel all over the place. When I am overseas I hear some music that I never hear playing in Jamaica," he told Splash. "Some artiste jus' believe that once their music is creating a buzz here, that it mus' 'buss' overseas, but it don't quite work like that." G Monei said his days a 'roadie' have taught him a lot about the music business, and informs his approach as an artiste. He explained that over-priced artistes, over-sized entourages, indiscipline and poor work ethic, works against the industry, pitfalls he vows to avoid. G Monei pointed to the music of Bob Marley as a classic example of endurance. It has international appeal, decades after his passing. "Even those he performs with a strong Jamaican sound, the lyrics is in English. That makes it easy for people to understand and makes them want to buy the music. That is where we need to be going as young artistes in the business. Wi see how Sean Paul has done it and even artistes like Collie Budz... we need to take it there," he said. He currently has two tracks 'in the streets'. "Right now we have Caan Badda on the Mo Magic 'riddim' produced by the team from Unknown People Productions as well as Feel Like on the Road Test riddim from Black Sheet. They are doing well right now and we looking forward to some good things happening for it." G Monei, whose given name is Chris Reid, does not believe in limiting himself. He draws inspiration from everywhere. "I don't believe in being boxed in," he stated emphatically. "When the inspiration comes, I just work with it. Right now the two singles that are out, one is a one-drop while the other is a dancehall thing... I like a surprise." Source Jamaica Observer: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Wanted--Good-lyrics_16154514 |