Chronixx dissolves all expectations (Brussels, 13 April )

For several years there has been a new trend in Jamaica in which will be reverted to the essence of Reggae, with conscious tunes, live concerts and Rastafari in the leading role. Some call it the Reggae Revival, what others beg to differ because something has to die first before it can revive, and Reggae has never been dead. Whatever we call it, there is a fresh wind blowing through the scene and entails a lot of positive vibes in which the three artists of Sunday truly belong.

One hour after the show would normally start (waiting for the Reggae audience, fortunately Heartbeat Movement provided good tunes) we got to see Kelissa, a cheerful and positive appearance, who had a lot to tell. We already heard the opener "Slow down" a few times on radio programs and is a call-up to live slowly and stop. This new singer sounded fairly soft and slightly lighter and braver than her colleagues, but the tunes are uplifting and Zinc Fence Band tended just like the rest of the evening for a good and original accompaniment. Unfortunately the voice was not perfectly mixed which made her sound a bit hollow . Kelissa got enough time to do her thing, finishing with "Warrior", a powerful tune on a Nyabinghi rhythm.

Subsequently it was Dre Island's turn, slightly more famous than the previous but still fairly new to the reggae fans. Right from the first tune I heard Rik from I & I sound saying that his voice at times sounded like Damian Marley and that was spot on, especially during rapid deejay pieces. Dre Island has a nice flow and a good singing voice and with "Uptown downtown" he gets the public really excited for the first time. The song on the popular "Militancy riddim" became a hit last year and it sounded really good live too. We recently heard that Dre had years of piano training and he proved this on Sunday when he jumped behind the keyboards for a slower song, a nice pause in the show. To finish, he chooses an up tempo , rather dancehall song and warms up the public (and the audience) for the headliner. We are sure that we will hear more from Dre Island. Talent galore!

When Chronixx opened his first concert tour in Antwerp about a year ago (read review here) there were very few people. The young artist had just broken through in Jamaica and his popularity in Europe came only a few months later. Despite the low turnout Chronixx and Zinc Fence Band gave us a really great Reggae show and they've only gotten better in the past year. Luckily this time more people were there, although there could have been a bit more audience in the hot VK. On April 1 Chronixx released "Dread & Terrible" (read review here), his first 10-song EP, including three dubs. During the show, he brought a nice alternation between his current hits and new tunes from the EP.

As opener we get to hear "Alpha & Omega",the first tune of the EP and an ode to Rastafari. Zinc Fence began with the dub and Chronixx picked up perfectly a few minutes later. His voice was clear, recognizable and touched the audience, and he is a true performer, even though he jumped less than last year. It is clear that the show was well prepared and that they worked hard on their music. One of the things that stands out is the combination of both dub and dancehall breaks in the same tunes, but it is mainly the dubby pieces that often come back in the show, original roots style!

Meanwhile Chronixx has enough hits to keep the show going strong as we heard "Eternal Fyah", "Nah Give Up" ( with a bit of "No capitalist" by Kabaka Pyramid) , "Access Granted", "Lighters in the air" , "Where I come from" (original with Major Lazer) and the wonderful "They do not know", one of the first songs he has broken through with. It is in this song that he lets the audience sing for the first time and then we noticed how everyone was caught up in the vibe and sang lustily. "Love love love and live", said Chronixx, and thus he spread his message again. He did this all the time by the way, but through his tunes. Who listens attentively to his lyrics learns a lot of lessons in life and wisdom, and in this way Chronixx has now also been a positive example for the youth in Jamaica.

Big up also for Zinc Fence, for as a young band they really made a qualitative, original guidance for the artists, with nice unexpected pieces. There were no backing vocals but the band successfully countered that. For "Let it rain", Chronixx opted for piano accompaniment and thereby provided a nice pause of the show, then the crowd went completely mad with "Smile Jamaica", the monster hit of last year. We were thrown from one climax to another, and rightly so, an outstanding Reggae show. After the new "Capture country" it was time for the hit song "Here comes trouble", which immediately got a pull up and could count on massive audience responses. He instantly used this tune to bring another piece of Jesse Royal's "Modern Day Judas" and went into "World a Reggae" by Ini Kamoze and "Promised Land" by Dennis Brown, of course, with its corresponding dub.

Chronixx preserved the Dancehall tunes (like last year) for the last part of the show, the first of the new "Spirulina", a call to live a healthier life and a way to make many people aware. Dancehall is still important for Chronixx, but is subordinate to Reggae . After "Warrior" and "Nah Follow" the show ended for the first time but they came back soon for more vibes. The popular song "Start a fyah" was also the reason to get Kelissa and Dre Island back on stage and they also sang a part of the tune, a really strong and energetic live version. That energy continued all the way through to "Selassie Soujahz" still a hit, but normally together with Sizzla and Kabaka Pyramid. Even without them, it was a big party, with as last tune a very solid version of "Behind Curtain". We got a lovely full-evening show with strong openers and a headliner at the top of the modern reggae scene. We are looking forward to what more will come in the future. Word, sound and power!