Various Artists - Reggae Sunjam

The Reggae Sunjam Festival is being held every summer in August in Cyprus. It has been running since 2016 and it's aiming to be the biggest reggae gathering on the island of Cyprus. Organized by Dubophonic, the independent production team Easy Going Productions and Suzie Selecta the festival strongly supports the local reggae-dub scene, while it is dynamically reinforced every year with special international guests.

Artists like Professor Skank (GR), Dub Riots (GR), King Of Eye (UK), Haji Mike (CY), Dub Thomas (CY), Sensijam (CY), Med Dred (CY)  are just a few of the artists who attended the festival in the first 2 years of its life. The release is enriched with the music of Negritage (ARG), Bagjuice (NL), SKG's Dub Alliance (GR), Mr Zebre (FR), Red Star Martyrs (UK) and Rebel-I (PER).

This is a sweet memory of the great vibrations we had in these 2 years and we would like to thank all artists for the warm support and the massive crowd who was there to dance and celebrate with us. We love you all and we look forward to continue spreading the positive vibes, making this event the leading reggae festival in Cyprus!

01 Sensijam - Uhuru  / 02 Bagjuice - Don't Give / 03 Negritage ft. Christina Polycarpou - From Kyrenia with Dub / 04 Red Star Martyrs ft. Haji Mike - Dead Politiks / 05 Med Dred - Bal Ed Dred / 06 Dub Riots - Morning Lights / 07 King Of Eye - Spiral Dreams / 08 SKG's Dub Alliance - Get Up In Dub / 09 Mr Zebre ft. Rebel-I - Legal (Professor Skank remix)

Reggae Sunjam Cyprus - What you need to know

The second Reggae Sunjam Music Festival is being held this weekend, on the 12^th and 13th at Paradise Place Music Bar, in Pomos, Paphos. It is organized byl Dubophonic, the independent production team Easy Going Productions and Suzie Selecta. A few days before we give you the Festival guide:

The location
The Festival takes place in the village of Pomos, east of Polis in Paphos. The music bar Paradise Place is located just before the village entrance, on a hill overlooking the sea. Here you can enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in Cyprus and swim in a hidden beach at the foot of the Paphos forest! The bar offers a relaxed and beautiful atmosphere while the wider area is full of magical beaches and beautiful mountain paths!
 

The music program
23 hours of Roots, Reggae, Dub, Steppers and Dancehall music by renowned artists and DJs!

The Top Acts
At the Festival this year, you will see Professor Skank, by far the most well-known Greek dub producer. He will be performing an exclusive live set with live dub mix and great selection on stage. Born and raised in Greece in 1977, he experimented with the genre at a really young age of 14 on a 4-track recorder in the early 90’s. Meeting Mad Professor was a turning point for him. He discovered his talent and initiated him into the secrets of dub music. In the following years this collaboration allowed him to use the legendary Ariwa Studios and work with great artists like Max Romeo, Zion Train, Brinsley Ford Aswad, Love Grocer, Earl16, Vibronics, Afrikan Simba, Dreadzone and many other. Based in his studio, he keeps on producing music, releasing vinyls and remixing tunes international labels (among them our own Dubophonic) presenting his music all around the world.

You will also have the chance to enjoy the vibes of musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jammaroots for the first time in Cyprus. She will be performing a live acoustic session on the guitar singing her own songs and cover versions plus a special session with Mrs HCN on the decks! With her very particular voice, Jammaroots mixes her musical influences creating a peculiar musical blend, based on reggae with a scent of soul, dub and lots of improvisations. She has performed in various live stages and festivals as opening act for The Wailers, Horace Andy, Matic Horns, Earl ''china'' Smith and many more. She has also many studio collaborations, amongst others with Blend Mishkin and Vlastur, performs with her band The Oscillators as well as with Full Circle, collaborated with dj's and mc's ina roots and culture style, sings with Steffanaty and of course writes her own music, some of which we will have the pleasure to listen during the festival.

 
The Producers and DJs
This year you will have the opportunity to listen to two Cypriot artists who live and work abroad.

King of Eye who resides in the UK:  a dub artist with a passion for old & new technology, remixing sounds, visuals and filling the space with music and positive vibes. Moved to the UK from Cyprus in 1996 to study Animation and Film and got involved with event-organising under the name "Visual Vinyl" alongside people like Sattaman (Real Roots ) and performing under the name Kingofeye and Dub Theatre alongside I-Jay and Izzi Philo. The ongoing love affair with dub/music and visuals have seen the King of eye perform all over europe and the UK (Boomtown, One Love, Big Green Gathering, Island Of Dub, ARS Austria, United Nations of Dub) with a fresh approach and a mix of old and trusted sound system styles. The performances incorporate vinyl and live dub techniques alongside visuals where permitted. Conscious Lyrics, Rasta Livity and a conscious message through heavy bass lines are the characteristics of the live shows.

Syrina Sound from the Netherlands: She plays exclusively vinyl records and brings you sounds of old and new roots, reggae and dub music such as Abyssinians, King Tubby, Aba Shanti, Jah Shaka, Empress Shema, King Alpha, Jah Militant and Maasai Warrior. In addition to the love of music, Syrina Sound was created to promote the contribution of women to the stage of reggae and dub music.

The program of the Festival is dynamically reinforced by some of the most important DJs and producers from Cyprus: Dub Thomas with a special dubplate session, Haji Mike & Kemal with a live-acoustic program, Mrs HCN being active in the Greek reggae scene for many years, DJ Monday, Suzie Selecta, Pan Khaos, and Chillum Brothers.

Also some last minute additions to our lineup with some special guests: Crusty Locks from Bagjuice (NL) will be joining Syrina Sound on the decks and Roots Titus representing Jah Lion Movement (UK) will be opening the Sunday sessions with some rootikal vibrations.

The line-up in detail
Saturday

18:00 – 20:00 Mrs HCN

20:00 – 22:00 Syrina Sound meets Crusty Locks (NL)

22:00 – 00:00 DJ Monday (Jah Star Sound)

00:00 – 03:00 Professor Skank (GR)

Sunday

12:00 – 13:00 Roots Titus (UK - Jah Lion Movement)

13:00 – 15:00 Chillum Brothers (Easy Going Productions)

15:00 – 16:30 Suzie Selecta

16:30 – 18:30 Pan Khaos (Morphogenetic Fields)

18:30 – 20:00 Haji Mike meets Kemal (Dubophonic)

20:00 – 22:00 Jammaroots (GR)

22:00 – 00:00 Dub Thomas (Dubophonic)

00:00 – 02:00 King of Eye (UK)

What will be offered
During the Festival, various alcoholic beverages and drinks will be offered at reasonable prices, as well as food. From breakfast to dinner the options will vary, including vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Where to stay
In the area there is the possibility of camping with facilities and services such as outdoor showers. The experience of staying in the place is very pleasant, as you can enjoy the Festival without any interruption and without missing anything! Note however, that the space for camping is inevitably limited. So make sure you get there early or contact the organizers to let you know if space is still available. If you prefer to stay out of the venue area, then your options in the wider area are either to stay at the camping site of Polis being only 20 minutes away, or rent a room in the area.

What you will find at the Merchandise Store of the Festival
Reggae Sunjam Cyprus has prepared a CD with tracks by musicians and producers who have participated or are participating this year at the Festival. The CD will be available for sale along side with other releases from the artists, as well as the t-shirt of the festival with the impressive Sunjam logo. More artists will also be hosted with their handcrafted creations and products.

By supporting the Festival you support a good cause
Part of the Festival’s revenues will be donated to the HOPE Foundation (Helping Orphans Prodigal to Eternity) - Nepal, which hosts orphaned children in Kathmandu, offering opportunities for a better life through care and education. Also, there will be a donation box during the Festival where you can further support this initiative with your contribution.

Entrance is 7 euros for one day and 10 euros for two days. Tickets will be available at the door.

Media Sponsor: Rock FM Cyprus // Supported by: Onetropic online shop, Cactus Arts & Crafts, Health Basket organic shop, Magos Record Shop // Info: 70007102, 26342016
Facebook: Reggae Sunjam Cyprus, Twitter: @Reggaesunjam

High Station Sound meets Dub Thomas & Haji Mike

=> More information on facebook! <=

Nuff respect High Station Soundsystem! On Saturday the 22nd of July 2017, we will be showcasing the works of our label on one of the leading soundsystems in Cyprus, celebrating our 4th birthday with friends, artists and fans. Everybody is welcome to join the dance.

Dub Thomas and Haji Mike will meet High Station Sound in an 8-hour session, starting up at sunset and going through the late hours. Exploring the sound of dub music, we will take you on a musical journey, with Roots Reggae as a starting point, traveling through the various aspects of Dub music. We hope that you can drop by .... we will be very honored to share this special occasion with you. Expect to listen some unreleased tunes from the label as well as special cuts and dubplates for the first time.

This is an outdoor event straight outta our yard. Food and drinks available on site. Free entrance for everybody! Click here for more information!

Zion Dirty Sound - Celebrity Fever

Djibril and Faida are back. Two years after the first release Fils d’ Abraham, the French duo Zion Dirty Sound return with a new EP. Based on the track Celebrity Fever already released on their first LP, Dubophonic is re-releasing that same riddim in a new creative approach.

It took a long time for this project to be completed. Main reason, was the many artists involved in this project. The stems of the riddim traveled from France to all around the world, to places near and far. Countries like Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Russia, USA and Japan are participating in this project. The riddim was then reworked or dubbed and then sent back to the Zion Dirty Sound headquarters in France for the final mixing and “necessary tweaking”.

The result is a compilation eight new songs, each and every one based on the same “celebrity” riddim, but each and every one completely different in terms of creativity. Starting with Zion Dirty Sound’s 2015 version of Celebrity Fever titled Cumbia Fever, the riddim is dubbed by Nadoo (FR), vocalised in English by the dancehall artist Afro D (RUS) and in Japanese by sister Erika Crymson (JAP). Master See’s (USA) approach ina Nyabinghi style is lyric-wise and rythm-wise a strong slap to Babylon. Equally conscious is the version of Jazzmin Tutum (GER), an artist representing the often so neglected sub-genre of Dub Poetry. Peter Chaves (SP) and Michel Melody (POL) team up for a melodica dub version of the riddim. Last but not least we have included the irie sound of Murjah Warriors (ITA) improvising skilfully on the mandolin, perhaps the most creative version of all.

All cuts are composed with lots of love and this can be heard on every tune. But most important is the fact that all tracks flow nicely together. We hope that you will play this ep may times, since each cut has a different vibe and you will always find the most appropriate one for each situation.

Closing we would like to give thanks to Michel from the Murjah Warriors for the painting of the cover and the artwork and to Djibril for the special touch on the mixing of the tunes. We hope you will enjoy the tunes and that you will love them as well as we did.

01 Zion Dirty Sound - Cumbia fever / 02 Nadoo - Celebrity dub / 03 Jazzmin Tutum - Ci Ca Run Come / 04 Afro D - Teach Dem Fi Survive / 05 Master See - I reject it / 06 MurJah Warriors - Mandlion in Zion / 07 Haji Mike - Pain pain/ 08 Peter Chaves ft Michael Melody - Melodica Fever / 09 Erika Crymson - Light Up