There’s more to Eddie Murphy than meets the eye, or even the ears come to think of it. Millions around the world know him as the star of films like Trading Places, Beverley Hills Cops, Coming To America or The Nutty Professor, but the comedian has other, more musical ambitions that may surprise a lot of his long-time fans. So what do you get the man who has everything? A hit reggae single would do nicely, and he’s made a fair start with two recent efforts – Red Light, shared with Snoop Dogg, and his own solo Oh Jah Jah, which made serious inroads into the iTunes’ charts earlier this year. (more…)

Ox at Dub Vendor

Eddie Oxman is an institution in the London reggae revive scene.

Perhaps most well-known internationally for his work with the renowned Dub Vendor and Soul Jazz crews, Oxman has a long and deep history, from running his own sound, producing, record collecting, to hosting dances. Whether selecting or on the mic, he is one of the best in the game. Conviction Roots caught up with Oxman at the Dub Vendor store in Soho, London.

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This summer, local reggae fans were treated to a unique reggae experience. Crucial B of Crucial Vibes Sound System and Julian Livity of I-Livity I-Fi-Roots and Culture Sound System, two veteran German reggae selectors, spent about three and a half weeks here.

Primarily in the country to perform at  the ‘Off The Radar’ (OTR) festival (Wellesford, Auckland, 31 Jan – 2 Feb), the pair also spent time travelling and performing a few extra gigs. Now back in Hamburg, I caught up with these selectors to reflect on their visit and to find out more about what brought them to this end of the world. (more…)

Carter Van Pelt talks to New York producer and artist, Ticklah, about his love for reggae music, the recording process, making creatively progressive music, and some of his many and varied projects.

You are one of a handful of non-Jamaican reggae producers who have a great reverence (hope that’s not an overstatement) for the aesthetic of some of the better Jamaican music and the production process that helped give it an identity. What are some of the aspects of Jamaican recording and the music itself, that initially hooked you, and what have you grown to appreciate that maybe you didn’t immediately notice or appreciate?

“Reverence” wouldn’t be an overstatement at all in my case. That’s exactly what I feel about what you refer to as the “better” Jamaican music. It’s hard for me to say what initially hooked me, other than that feeling that probably most people who are not born into an environment where reggae is what they grow up with feel if and when they get hit by reggae. Something like – “damn! this feels different from everything else I’ve heard…and I LOVE it!! MORE!!”. (more…)

Photo by Chuck Przybyl

If you haven’t heard it yet, his most recent album is a collaboration with a Chicago dub project: The Scientist Meets Ted Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub. It’s full of crucial echoes, proper basslines, and skillful instrumentation.

During a wide-ranging Skype conversation with Anderson Muth, aka The Groove Thief, the legendary Hopeton Overton Brown, aka The Scientist, weighed in on important social issues and also discussed Jamaican music’s past, present, and future. (more…)

Check the YT Interview Special, produced by DJ Art from Newtown Sound. (more…)

Check the Mikey Dread – the Dread at the Controls – Interview Special, produced and hosted by DJ Art from Newtown Sound. (more…)

Check the Deadly Hunta Interview Special, produced and hosted by DJ Art from Newtown Sound. (more…)

Check the Sugar Minott Interview Special, produced and hosted by DJ Art from Newtown Sound. (more…)