Horace Martin – Positive Vibez
Horace Martin came to prominence in Kingston in 1979 when he finished third in the Tastee Talent Series behind a young Nadine Sutherland and Paul Blake of the Blood Fire Posse. He recorded many top…
Alborosie and Lady Saw at Eurockeennes Festival – 5/6/7 July 2008, Belfort, France
I realised after reading through a recent post on the NiceUp forum how lucky I was to attend the Eurockeennes festival a week ago in Belfort, France. This is one of Frances' oldest and biggest…
K-Salaam & Beatnick – Whose World Is This?
The first thing I noticed when I picked up this album was the A-list selection of some of the worlds most prominent and dopest hip-hop, reggae artists. For the hip-hop heads there is Papoose, Dead…
Deli Top Ten – July 2008
Deli hails from Auckland and through his love and appreciation of good music, particularly reggae and reggae-influenced beats, joined with fellow DJs, Undercover Brother, Ed G, Pauly Who, Piet,…
Battle-Ska Galactica – 21 June 2008, Wellington
The New Zealand Ska scene has grown a lot in the last couple of years. Acts like The Managers and The Yoots have really come to the fore with their infectious rudy grooves and this year saw the…
Vital Sounds Hi-Fi
This Friday 27 June sees the country's first custom built reggae sound system launched at Bar Bodega - Vital Sounds Hi-Fi - run by long-time reggae selector, DJ Manray. NiceUp spoke to Manray about…
Roy G and the Bivinators – For the People
If ever an irie selector needed something with a little jazz-matazz flavour to uplift a serious, roots-heavy floor, here it is. Maz Herman has composed and produced a delightfully summery-scented EP…
Ooklah the Moc meets Koko – Struggling Soldier
This is a review that I have been keen to write for a long time. But 'nuff spliff can affect your motivation levels so its been a while coming. I spent much of last year living in Hawai'i on a…
House of Shem – Keep Rising
This is the long-awaited debut from Wanganui based reggae group House of Shem. The band's strength is their phenomenal tightness and precision playing combined with the sweetness of their vocal…
Sizzla and The Firehouse Crew – 23 May, Munich, Germany
My wife and I arrived in Munich two months prior to this gig. Unfortunately I overlooked how hard it is to settle into a new city, in a new country. All the while we have been waiting for the ship…
DJ K-Note – Dutty Bass Vol. 2
DJ K-Note's mission statement for this mix was 'to broaden the boundaries' and 'include a bit of mainstream music' with reggae/dancehall links. The result is a well rounded and nostalgic journey…
Dubwize presents Snypa Levi – The Sojourner
A sojourner, do you know what that means? A pilgrim soldier like me, operating as an MC...I'm just a a stranger here, this place is not my home to stay. - The Sojourner Snypa Levi: Californian…