Mark Iration speaks in a booming voice; his dub roots sound system prides itself on being one of the very best and certainly one of the loudest in Europe; and the man even writes in capital letters. Everything about his is about giving his all. The sound system culture of sound-clashes boils down to holding your own against the other sound system, about feeding off each other, about raising the pace and winning the crowd.
Freddie McGregor was born on June 27, 1956 in Clarendon, Jamaica. He is a singer, musician and producer. McGregor's career began at the age of seven. In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form The Clarendonians, and began to record for the legendary Studio One label. Freddie worked with producer Niney the Observer during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His popularity soared in the early 1980s with the release of "Bobby Babylon".
Takana Zion is a young singjay sensation from Guinée (where he was born on June 30 in 1986) who presents his debut album "Zion Prophet" on the Makafresh label, the branch dedicated to release new roots music by the well respected French Makasound label -- at least amongst fans of vintage reggae music. After first experimenting with Guinean rap and dancehall, he becomes more and more attracted to and involved in roots reggae, having listened in his youth especially to Peter Tosh and Culture's Joseph Hill.
Since the release of their first album, 'If the Blues Comes Calling' in 2006 Birmingham based bluegrass and swing outfit, The Toy Hearts, have gained an enviable reputation as one of the UK's hottest acts on the emerging acoustic scene; with a loyal ever-growing fan base who attend Toy Hearts concerts expecting an original, dynamic and innovative performance of modern bluegrass music.
Sisters Hannah (lead vocal/mandolin) and Sophia (guitar/harmony vocals) front the band...
Barrington Levy (born April 30, 1964) is a reggae and dancehall artist. He was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and soon formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977. Levy established his solo career the next year with "A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love"; though the single was a failure, the fourteen year old was a popular performer at Jamaican dancehalls.
The Little Stevies are a band from Melbourne, Victoria that formed in 2006. Luscious three-part harmonies soaring above striking melodies and catchy guitar hooks is the sound of Melbourne pop-darlings The Little Stevies. Each song's a story you'll want to hear again, as the personalities of all the band members come shining through. Cheeky, charming, moving. When The Little Stevies released their debut EP
Daley grew up in Waltham Park Road, Kingston, and, influenced by American soul and Jamaican artists such as Dennis Brown, began his singing career by entering local talent shows. He became the lead vocalist for the group The Flaming Phonics, playing live around Jamaica. Daley decided to drop out of school to pursue his music career, which prompted his mother to throw him out of the family home. Needing to make some money, the group tried out for producer Duke Reid, but left before finishing their recording for him due to his habit of firing live gunshots in the studio.
Chris Fatouros (born 1983) is a singer-guitarist-song writer from Melbourne, Australia. Performing and singing since childhood, Fatouros's main interest had always been classic rock & folk. He is known for his raw and soulful performance style, strong vocals and multi-instrumental skills. Fatouros's music is strongly influenced by a wide variety of artists, such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Gillian Welch and Neil Young. Aside from solo work, Chris has performed with original band SoulHarmoniX, with cover band Mister Speaker, in a jazz duo with a pianist and in a duo with a percussionist.
Juzzie Started playing the harmonica at 13. By 23 he had won the coveted Golden Harmonica at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the Byron Bay Blues Blowout twice. He has in the course of his musical journey embraced and mastered a range of instruments, and absorbed influence from some diverse musical styles. Juzzie has played in a lot of bands, some fantastic and some forgettable, and performed with some of Australia's best musicians, including John Butler, Damon Davies, Jodi Martin and Jeff Lang.
