Marvin Sparks

Remember Lucas DiPasquale "that white boy from Canada singing Popcaan songs" acoustically? Well, he went to Jamaica earlier this summer on a promo trip but Popcaan was out of the country so they didn't get to meet. However, couple weekends ago, the dream came true at Dream Weekend. Popcaan brought him out to shell the Dream Live event. So many artists still haven't got a reaction like this in their lives. Big up him. Look forward to hearing the official releases

As premiered last night by 1Xtra's don Mista Jam, "Drunk & Incapable" is the first official single by Krishane features Melissa Steel and dancehall legend, Beenie Man. Melissa's fresh off a top ten single of her own [ click here to read more ] and a dancehall legend in Beenie Man to seal it is a good look. Little boy-girl singing duet and reggae-tinged vibes with the breakbeat. Hopefully this won't be judged on the summer season, but allowed to flourish in the post-summer settings. FYI Krishane is the 20 year-old son of dancehall icon Barrington Levy. Born and raised in Jamaica, now living over here in UK. Harlesden a.k.a. Brixton if it was in northwest London to be precise. Recently signed to Atlantic so expect to see a proper roll out of this single in the not too distant future. Check out the first song I posted last week,  Typical . Lovers rock vibrations produced by KZ, nephew of Caron Wheeler (Soul II Soul)

New name on the scene to watch out for: Krishane, recently signed to Atlantic records over here in the UK. He's the son of one of dancehall/reggae's greatest singers, Barrington Levy, and he has a set of pipes on him too. Oh, and the song is produced by Caron Wheeler's (of Soul II Soul fame) nephew, KZ. Nice little reggae lovers bubbler.

Now you may remember I reviewed Chronixx's debut London performance last year . Well, it's that time again. He performed to a sold out crowd in Electric Brixton (formerly The Fridge). Oh, big up everyone who turned up on the door. Unlucky. Now everyone who is someone should know the history of Brixton and Jamaicans. It may not be that way anymore due to fassyoles and their gentrification, but we still associate Brixton with Jamaicans. Whereas last year was in north London, this felt more like where Chronixx was supposed to be. My expectations were a lot different time around. Last year, was more apprehension. Will he deliver? Will the crowd be into him as much as I am? Will it be some stiff, lame out crowd? All of that was dispelled in the first song. This time was more a "Will I be underwhelmed because the last was an other-worldly experience?" one. How does one top the best debut performance I've ever seen? Well, good news guys. He bettered my expectation. I

This is just a small section of a forthcoming reasoning I had with UK reggae legend, Maxi Priest. We spoke on a range of things including his time, the impact and importance of the world-renowned Saxon Sound. They're foundation to what many have unknowingly carried on in various MC-based scenes in England. Check out what he had to say below. Marvin Sparks: I've heard so much about Saxon Sound. To me, I don't feel like people understand how big and the impact Saxon Sound had, and still have especially when considering the popularisation of the fast-chat style. What was it like being part of it? Could you sense what you were doing was special or were you just going along with the vibe? Maxi Priest: Everything at that time was special. There wasn't a road map of what to do. You have to also imagine the climate at that time. We were cutting through racism. Just walking the streets, you had to walk with a crowd of people. Skinheads, greasers, NF's… All of these di

So after Brixton Splash, I travelled north to touch down at the Tarrus Riley 'Love Situation' tour. Upon walking in I was greeted by the crowd rocking to selections by Allan Brando and DJ Sir Corey aka Doops Squad. They were playing anthems-upon-anthems. Big sing along after sing along by a cross section of artists; from Freddie McGregor, Sanchez, Beres Hammond and Garnett Silk to Jah Cure, Richie Spice and Chronixx. First up was UK reggae artist I've been tipping since 2012, Randy Valentine. Happy to see this guy picking up so much steam and support. But anyway, he delivered a short but sweet performance. Opening with Break The Chain's intro "Dear People", before raising the tempo with "Lock Me Up", couple other songs, before ending on my favourite from the EP, motivational "Carry On". Alaine is a singer I rate but didn't expect much of live. I wasn't sure how her high vocals would carry live. Much to my surprise, her voice h

So, this week is a historical week in the UK singles chart. A reggae song (Magic! - "Rude") moved up a spot to #1, dancehall song (Melissa Steel ft. Popcaan "Kisses for Breakfast") enters the chart at #10,  and an afrobeats song (Fuse ODG ft. Sean Paul - "Dangerous Love") with a dancehall feature co-produced by a Jamaican producer (Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor and, Ghanaian, Killbeatz) is #31. They go on like a reggae song can't be pop anymore. I don't remember the last time there were so many Jamaicans and explicitly Jamaican-influenced songs in at one time so this calls for a post. A time to remember. Maybe it's the beginning of things to come, could just be a flashpoint, either way it's a moment to note. That's not even counting pop boy band, Rixton, with their reggae/ska influenced " Me & My Broken Heart " at #12. I don't count the Will.i.am & Cody Wise song " It's My Birthday " (a