CULTURE ( Jamaica ) ‘ROOTS REGGAE REVIVAL’

‘ROOTS REGGAE REVIVAL’

CULTURE ( Jamaica )

Sky Juice Produc ti ons is back with another fine act of reggae music in Copenhagen . This ti me it’s the legendary Jamaican reggae band Culture. They are per forming ‘live & direct’ in Loppen, Chris ti ania on the 1st of December, where the doors opens at 21:00 .

Culture was formed in 1976 following the rich tradi ti on of harmony trios coming from Jamaica . Soon they became a part of the vibrant, poli ti cally charged Jamaican reggae scene of the day. Originally known as the African Disciples, the line -up consisted of Joseph Hill (lead vocals), Albert Walker (backing vocals) and Kenneth Dayes (backing vocals). Hill was the only member of the trio who had prior studio ex per ience – having worked at Coxsone Dodd’s legendary Studio One as a per cussionist with the Soul Defenders group in the early 1970’s. It was also at Studio One that Hill first recorded as a voca lis t.

Shortly after Culture came together, they began working with the ‘Mighty Two’ – producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson. While at Gibbs’ studio, the singers recorded a series of powerful singles, many of which ended up on their successful debut album ‘Two Sevens Clash’ released on the Joe Gibbs imprint in 1977 and s ti ll today regarded as one of the finest reggae albums ever made. At once Culture became part of a wave of vocal groups (including the Mighty Diamonds, Black Uhuru, the Medita ti ons and countless others) that ruled the reggae scene for a brief while in the late 70’s.

In 1982 the three singers went their own ways. Joseph Hill carried on using the Culture name, and recorded the ‘Lion Rock’ album, which was released in the United States by Heartbeat Records. For their part, Walker and Dayes recorded a handful of songs on their own – a few of which turned up on an album ti tled ‘Roots & Culture’.

In 1986 the original line -up reformed to record two highly regarded albums – ‘Culture in Culture’ and ‘Culture at Work’. These releases marked the beginning of a very busy per iod for the group, including annual albums and countless tours. The U.S. label Shanachie released a steady stream of new and old Culture albums up to ‘Wings Of A Dove’ in 1992.

In 1993 Kenneth Dayes left the group because severe health problems and today, Culture consists of Hill, Walker and Telford Nelson. While Culture has now been around for 29 years, Joseph Hill and friends are showing no signs of slowing down. Hill has lost none of his striking stage presence and fiery energy over the years. The group has sustained their lengthy career by being both true to their cultural roots , and at the sam e ti me able to incorporate new sounds and ideas into their mix. Culture has proved to be one of the few acts in reggae that can always be relied on – both on record, and on stage. As reggae music goes, a Culture concert is both a tribute to the past and a glimpse of the future …. Not to men ti on a wh ole lot of fun!

The reggae sound system Sky Juice Sound System are going to spin the best reggae vinyls both before and after the concert warming up the place with the hottest hits and lots of roots reggae.