Roots Archives Forum

I met my wife in 87 in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.
She was here homestaying and studying English(she is Japanese)
I was studying Japanese at the time and we hit it off right way because we both liked the same music and she knew all about the Aussie bands I had grown up with.
She was also a fan of British bands like DURAN DURAN, DEPECHE MODE and JAPAN..
She never listened to Reggae before she met me but I had enjoyed it since 76/77 through a school friend ( who still sends me his home produced tunes to now)
After I went to Japan in 88 I started to buy CDS to replace the music I had left behind in Australia but I found myself leaning more and more towards Reggae and Ska.
Now we listen to Reggae ONLY and my wife says
"I never thought I would be so in love with Reggae music"
Also our kids always ask to hear Reggae at bed time.
So yes we are one big Reggae house now.
PS check out JAPANESE Reggae and SKA it is well wicked !

So the wizard of OZ has a Japanese connection eh?

Gotta love the Japanese! Give me some names of the artists who make Reggae/Ska in Japan - I'll check them out!


My son (the one I mentioned who plays keyboard for me) is really into Japan as he has grown up a total Nintendo freak!

He is going to college to study music - but is excited because he has a chance to study Japanese whilst he is there as an additional subject!

MightyZ

www.myspace.com/mightyallstars

Leggo rocker wrote:

Why is that kidding? Surely if she didn't like reggae marrying her would have been a really bad idea!


Leggo you are right of course! When I just met my wife we went to see Israel Vibration play at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Very fond memories of that night!

Selecta Bing!.....

Whattabout dem Skapara? A awesome ska-band straight from Japan! And a wicked live-band!
I have all their albums, a nice blend of not only ska, but also reggae,dub, surf-pop(??!!) and alot more!
On their latest album they do a cool version of the love-theme from The Godfather!
Yeah MightyZ.... check dem out!
Their original name is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (long name, huh?)

Taco B wrote:Leggo rocker wrote:

Why is that kidding? Surely if she didn't like reggae marrying her would have been a really bad idea!

Leggo you are right of course! When I just met my wife we went to see Israel Vibration play at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Very fond memories of that night!

Hey Taco, look below the message boxes, there's a new 'quote this message' button. Saves you typing out all the stuff when you want to quote!

leggo rocker wrote: Hey Taco, look below the message boxes, there's a new 'quote this message' button. Saves you typing out all the stuff when you want to quote!

Cheers! Quite handy.

My friends can't understand it because I'm only 34 but my love of roots is practically from birth. Thats what we listened to at home and will carry me through the rest of my life. Love it love it love it.

YES Funkyfred "SKA PARA" are big in Japan (since 88/89)
My wife loves them and we have most of their CDs & DVDs
and MOOD MAKERS ....the Bassists side band.
(Rocksteady/Lovers with lots of BURT BACHARACH covers)

BUT I would have to say my fav is DETERMINATIONS (ska)3~4 albums.
but they have broken up ....
2 members (bro & sis ) made another group BUSH OF GHOSTS .....wicked !!!
2 albums + 1 remix album
but they have finished also and they are doing solo work, but together, if ya get me!!
He is ICCHIE (the black box)and she is Yoshi ...1 album each, wicked !

My Japanese friend's band is SILVER SONICS (ska)...I used to help out with translating their lyrics for them or old 7"s that they wanted to cover. (Trad Ska)

BUT the most famous REGGAE band is DRY & HEAVY .....
I saw them support Lee Perry in TOKYO in 2000 with Mad Prof.

Some newer ROOTS style bands are DUBSENSEMANIA and CULTIVATOR .....
rootsy guitar and melodica etc..

There are plenty of MAD SKA BANDS like "Oi Skall Mates"(Madness meets Bad Manners) and ROLLINGS,,,ROCKING TIME are another fav (Rocksteady/Ska)

These are just a few, there are many many good bands.
SF recordings offers some modern dub artists like LUV BYTES....
just do a few searches and see what you can find.

I`m from South Africa and reggae music was normally found in the squatter camps(shanty towns) where the rasta`s would connect car radios to speakers including a amp. with it`s power source directed from a car battery.I man would make my way to these ghettos to buy some herb where i met a rastaman wich introduced me to his brother and friends wich were all rastafarians and there would be a fire that you could sit around roll up the ganja speak and chant the knowledge of all that was intresting at the time and throughout the night cassette after cassette would be blasted out from this old school sound system with the herb smoke well situated in the air "irie mon".Artists like Winston Rodney,Peter Tosh,Toots and the Maytals,Mighty Diamonds,Bob Marley,Culture,Lee Perry,Black Uhuru,Israel Vibration and so many others were played.Since those early days i started buying records and got into so many other roots/dub artists since and started to realise how big this music really was.Now days i live as a dreadlock and remember those special days in the slums where i man was guided too rastafarianism.As for my family and friends they don`t feel the same passion of reggae as i do. This the magical music wich holds a special place in the rastamans life.Long live reggae and the rastaman that create it.Jah bless and guide.Rasta

I can sometimes feel isolated in love for regggae, my sister and her partner got me into it when i was 17, though i had listened to tunes for years and years it was then that i bought a new turnable with a mixer.

Before this i had used one of those old systems with a tape player and deck on the top, i remember i think one of the first tunes i got was Junior Reids .. on Jammys Gold.
At that point a few friends got me vinyl for presents usually just asking people in the shops 'whats a good reggae album?'

Im 22 now, i dont know many my age that are into reggae as much as me, even my sister and her partner i seem to of surpassed their knowledge of reggae and they dont seem so interested in learning to the extent i do; its one of the reasons i love this forum as i do get to communicate with people with knowledge.

I frequently play reggae out and get many dancers to the tunes but as i have known in the past and now, a DJ's life can be lonely as there really isnt time to talk while selecting although if you cue up a few in a row i do get out and dance around some near the speakers inbetween tunes

As for racial issues, im white and i must admit i dont get approached by many black people, i have some relitives that are black and from this i have some big conversations of black and white issues, especially in the dance; they were surprised to find that I dont know many black people.

Leggo: your a lucky man to have such a family, true lovers of reggae, i have a musical family but they do not fully understand. I was into punk when i was a kid but it all changed for me, i still love punk but reggae is my passion also, maybe this will happen with your daughter.

I one day hope to have such a united family loving reggae as some of you on here, i guess im young and im hoping to bring a new generation of reggae lovers into the fold.

Love and peace