At a first listen to this I was taken back to the mid-90s when my life revolved around skateboarding, music, good friends, and trying to stay carefree (if only things could have stayed that way). Hailing from Virginia Beach, Bimini Road do have that unmistakable SoCal sound I was once so into.

An energetic five-piece with a rock edge, this band have a summer feel firmly placed on their self-titled record. From the first guitar riff, my comparison to Long Beach Dub Allstars was obvious, a band formed out of the flames of the great ‘Sublime’. Now this is by no means a bad comparison – those two bands were the sound track to my mislead youth. (more…)

Each month I’ll be writing about a few tunes that I’m feeling, both roots and dancehall. It won’t be a comprehensive review of everything out there, but it will let you know about some of the better releases out there that have caught my attention and might have slipped by you.

On the roots tip it’s still all about the Corner Shop riddim from industry luminary Johnny Wonder’s 21st Hapilos Digital Productions outfit. This is a release from the tail-end of 2012, but it still stands up as one of the strongest roots riddims out and continues to receive significant airplay. The lineup is all-star and voiced well across the board, including strong numbers from Chris Martin, Romain Virgo and Collie Buddz, but picking them out is equally unfair on the other featured artists. Make sure you check this out of it’s escaped you. (more…)

As usual I have left listening to this EP to the last minute. And boy am I kicking myself. This guy is a straight-up bad man and I should have been banging these tunes for the last month now. On my first listen I was happy to say that Natty is the UK Jahdan Blakkamore. Now that might be a great comparison and all, but Natty really does have his own vibe and style.

This is a conscious EP, heavy on the bass and quite steppy, with an acoustic number tagged on at the end for good measure. I have always said I prefer more dub than step in my dubstep, and this EP delivers that. Natty has a great voice and flow and doesn’t put on the Patois voice too heavily which is a refreshing change. He delivers a somewhat political message in his lyrical content, but in saying that it still has a feel good vibe about it. (more…)

Neva Done is the debut EP from well-known Auckland vocalist Silva MC. Silva has been rising quickly through New Zealand’s roots and dancehall scene in recent years and established herself with an authentic JA style and flow in the live arena. Her live work alongside serious names like Ladi6, Cornerstone Roots, Dam Native and Che Fu illustrates the speed at which she has cemented herself in the reggae scene.

The EP is short and sweet with four solid tunes and no unnecessary filler. Production is a truly international affair with producers from New Zealand, Jamaica, France and Chile lending their hands. (more…)

This is a group that until recently I knew nothing about, and as I am usually a little pessimistic on giving new things a go, it took me a while to give these guys a chance. I put the album on in the background and carried on with the house cleaning.

After a few minutes I had to stop and check that I hadn’t accidentally put on The Selecter instead. I cut my teeth on the two-tone sound during the late 80′s early 90′s and am still in love with the British ska sound (The Specials were amazing, and I’d only waited 24 years to see them in New Zealand). (more…)