ReggaeBus Rules

Saturday

Last year, 'veteran' sounds like Jahmbassador and Ionyouth made their appearance, along with Justice sound system who ended up being the winners of the Facebook poll. For this edition there was a separate Beljam Dub Corner, where no less than 5 handmade homegrown soundsystems could show off. On Friday Jah Heavy Load already rocked the place, together with Cultivate & Rescue from Ghent, which unfortunately had to deal with some technical difficulties. Saturday it was up to Unification, also from Ghent, next to Dub fi Youth and Black Pearl from Kortrijk. The Antwerp producers Unlisted Fanatic and Crucial Alphonse stood a better chance with the soundsystem of Blackboard Jungle. Respectively at the side of Paul Fox, a regular customer from England, and the Beljam trio Missing Link, Irie Ilodica and Kiangana. In addition, there was also room for the Brussels soundcrews Reservoir Dub and Gamma sound, who had the honour of warming up the crowd for some big international names such as Radical Guru, Weeding Dub and Vibronics with Jah Marnyah. The (initially free of charge) street party in Het Jubelpark has developed into the annual conference for every fan of dub in all its varieties in no time. This year was the first time that the festival had already completely sold out before the start of the weekend; at Panda Dub they even had to refuse entrance to certain people because it was just too crowded. Who still daresay that dub has not become more popular than dancehall in our region? You can see for yourself at ReggaeBus!

Beljam Dub Corner

By now the people of Blackboard Jungle have become a regular fixture at ReggaeBus, and not only because with 24 scoops they possess the largest sound system on the European mainland and are willing to let others play on it. The selection and vibe at Blackboard seem to improve each time. Meanwhile the French have launched their own label with numerous well-received releases of which we heard several, including one with the beautiful voice of Mo'Kalamity, who played here live in the recent past. Everbody agrees that it was a pity that Aba Shanti only got to play two hours on Friday. Maybe a bit of an oversupply, with almost countless names both from Belgium and abroad, who barely get the time to reach a high and hold it for a while. Furthermore, is it really necessary for three soundsystem sessions to simultaneously take place on the same site? On the other hand, this way there was something for everybody. The organisers managed to create very different atmospheres, although all under the umbrella of roots and dub. Your reporter on duty did his very best to take a peek everywhere, but on Saturday we did spend most of our time in the Beljam Dub Corner, where mainly good old roots resounded. It was certainly not the most frequented location of the festival, but we really enjoyed what Jah Mike managed to pull out from his record boxes, the creditable selection and surprising voices of Unification and the well-oiled machine that Dub Fi Youth have become. They showed off once again with their 'Rasta We Rasta' by Danny Red, produced by Forward Fever, soon to be released on the brand new label of Dub Fi Youth. Anthem!

Meditative journey

At Zion Gate Hifi and Salomon Heritage we heard more modern productions (often of their own) and remakes. We remember the well-received relick of Johnny Osbourne's 'Purify Your Heart', played by Moa Anbessa from Italy, who had brought along none other than Dan I (Alpha & Omega). And yet the highlight of the afternoon was King Shiloh with a marathon session they could be very proud of. The group from Amsterdam took the audience on a meditative journey from the very first minute they started playing. Their solid sound system sounded better (read: less harsh and shrill) than before. "Feel the energy in the music!" And indeed, we felt the energy in the music, brought to a boiling point by Bredda Neil behind the buttons, accompanied by his usual chanter, next to the flamboyant Askala Selassie, who came to introduce her latest CD, swiftly rhyming to the dubs of Shiloh, including snatches of Capleton's 'Jah Jah City'. It was also a happy reunion with Nish Wadada ("which means love").

Big up Kiangana!

Major surprise when our very own Kiangana (Iron Ites) took the mic at the invitation of Askala, and finally also Dan I joined the company. It was quite pleasant to stay put in their arena of speakers where everyone automatically started dancing to the rhythm of the thumping bass, which had earlier that day attracted us to Tour&Taxis from far away. What has been regulated in Flanders for quite some time now, is clearly still allowed in Wallonia and Brussels, deafening soundsystem vibes until six o'clock in the morning, and during the day even in open air. And yet the organizers had given the impression that it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to meet the noise standards. Was that why Channel One played so quietly in the main hall? Their selection however was again very good. With a delightful series of unadulterated roots classics – it must have been the first time we got to hear 'How Long Jah' by Misty in Roots in a dance, with full dub of course. Gradually Mikey Dread switched to a deeper acceleration, with Ras Kayleb as indestructible toaster. To everyone's surprise Blackboard Jungle then turned their bass switch to an even higher level, and King Earthquake of course tried to live up to their name, but we were told that the sound of the (ill) Eroll Arawak still wasn't running at full speed. However, that didn't stop them from partying until the early hours of the morning and close down this very successful edition of ReggaeBus in style… Next stop: Kingkop!