Hi there, you may have realized that we are not as active as we used to be on Reggae Steady Ska. And it’s possible that it will remain that way, which is mainly due to the fact that other projects are keeping me (Joachim) busy and I haven’t been able to dedicate the time and passion RSS needs and deserves. Charles (our main contributor), Gregor (responsible for tech and graphical work) and I have been in talks regularly about how to go on. There are few possible scenarios. 1  One is to find new people to go on with the mission:   Reggae Steady Ska’s mission is to make a meaningf ..read more

Album of the issue: The Specials – Protest Songs 1924 – 2012 (Universal Music) There would be a lot of good reasons NOT to make “Protest Songs 1924 – 2012” the “Album of the Issue” in this column. Surely one searches in vain for Ska, Reggae and Rocksteady on it. Surely not even own songs of the band are included. And surely: What is left of The Specials in terms of personnel at all? Yes, yes. Why did the 25-member Easy Skanking Committee nevertheless decide on this much-coveted honor? An attempt at justification: When The Specials release an album on which Terry Hall sings, it is per se releva ..read more

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – When God Was Great. Click on the pic for a link to the vinyl album (affiliate link) The Mighty Mighty BossToneS are a musical institution, the American equivalent of Madness. Working-class backgrounds, together for decades, known for early hits and must-see live shows—and just now writing the best music of their lives. The BossToneS’ new album, When God Was Great, has all the things fans love about the band—big horns, irresistible dance numbers, an unabashed social and political stance and sticky, sing-along lyrics. But there’s an extra edge to this album, another ..read more

A few quick questions on the reissue of a classic  If you were earning a university degree in the history of the late 70s ska- and mod-revival, Garry Bushell’s books would be required reading. Red Planet Books has just reissued Garry’s 2011 Dance Craze as ‘79 Dance Craze: The Ska Revival featuring a much-improved layout with larger, sharper photos, many new to this edition. Red Planet also published Garry’s ‘79 Time For Action: The Mod Revival which I haven’t (but probably should’ve) read. I checked in with the prolific writer to get his take on his own book.  RSS: What was it like r ..read more

Looking for a song to celebrate your summer? Zem Audu’s new single, Love Language, checks all the right boxes. Catchy melody, upbeat lyrics, irresistible dance beat, beach-party vibe? Check, check, check and check. Zem was  selected personally by the late, great Cedric Brooks to play tenor sax for The Skatalites and recently (i.e., pre-Covid) Zem toured with Steel Pulse. These days he’s at home in NYC, hanging with his family, creating great songs like Love Language. Check out the interview, then check Zem’s website for the cool links.     The post Zem Audu – Your New Favorite ..read more

My friends like to joke that I have almost as many hats as my wife has shoes. This is silly. I have far more hats. We’re talking proper hats here, not baseball caps (of which I have zero), fezzes (several), ghutrahs or yarmulkes (one each). And we’re most definitely not talking cowboy hats because, no. My interest in hats—which sounds so much better than “my irrational, expensive hat obsession”—started when I was eight with Frank Sinatra, specifically, the “Come Fly With Me” album cover. The jet plane, that sense of adventure, Frank’s inviting smile and how he held his mother’s hand when he cr ..read more

The Results Thanks everyone for participating in the “Album Of The Year 2020” votings at Reggae Steady Ska.  Here are the results of the public votings:  The winner is  Boss Sound Manifesto – Boss  Congratulations!      The second place is split between  2. Got To Be Tough by Toots & The Maytals (BMG, Warner) and  2.  Another Round by The Hacklers (Smith & Miller Records) Please check the complete results further down.  Also make sure to take in the results of the jury voting. We had a great jury with members from across the worl ..read more

The Results The jury votes for “The Album Of The Year 2020” at Reggae Steady Ska are in. And the winner is … “The Victory” by Alpheus (Liquidator Music) Congratulations go out to Alpheus, his producer Roberto Sanchez and Toni from Liquidator Music for making this gem of an album happen. Let’s also note: All in all, more than 40 different albums have received at least one jury vote, which means, lots of much appreciated quality albums have been released in 2020. Shoutouts to all the artists and labels for keeping them coming.    Disclaimer: There had been a mix up with one jury vote ..read more

[POLL CLOSED] The “Album Of The Year” poll is on again.  It’s time to show support for your favourite artists and albums, and don’t miss the chance to check on the other greats on the shortlist that you might not know yet. Please, take the time to get an overview on all the cool releases from around the world this year, by first going to our list of Reggae And Ska Albums 2020.   Again, we spent a lot of time collecting and linking the albums for this poll. We went from obscure podcasts to long-running magazines and back. And we are incredibly thankful to the people who provided ..read more

Two big British names in reggae have joined forces (again) for this one. The release of the single “Honey” (Easy Star Records) coincides with the announcement of GDC’s seventh album release. “Down To Earth” is set to come later this year. “10 tracks of inexplicably smooth dub, reggae, ska, jazz and electronica” are to be expected.  “GDC’s Down To Earth tour is also on sale now, visiting 12 cities and towns across the UK in 2022 with special guest Kiko Bun.” Stream Honey here. https://www.gentlemansdubclub.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/GentlemansDubClub https://open.spotify.com/artist ..read more