"...Roots Blog Reggae vous offre à l'écoute pour fêter cette fin d'année un album de circonstance: "Natty Christmas" de Jacob Miller et Ray I. Enregistré dans les 70's, l'album est pressé pour la première fois en 1978 sur Top Ranking sous le titre "Ital Christmas", crédité à Jacob 'Killer' Miller et à Ray 'Weatherman' I. Il ressort en 1980 sur le même label mais avec une pochette différente, puis sur RAS en 1987 toujours avec une illustration différente.

Indéniablement influencé par U-Roy, Ray I travaille au milieu des 70's pour Tantone et Virgo. Il enregistra avec le Fatman Riddim Section l'album "Vision" [Top Ranking]... C'est pour Derrick Harriot qu'il enregistre son album le plus connu en 1978 sur Move and Grove, "Rasta Revival". Il collabora avec King Tubby sur son célèbre 7" Weatherman Skank sorti en 1980 sur Black and White.

Retourné dans l'anonymat, on le retrouver se poser sur "Braeton Killings" (backé par Guillaume Méténier, de Seven Dub, au clavier sur un riddim de Grant Phabao) et "High Grade" au coté de Danny Dread et Lone Ranger dans la compilation Grant Phabao - "Kulchaklash starring Lone Ranger, Ray I, Danny Dread & Simon Diamond" chez TIMEC (2004)..."

Link :
rootsblogreggae.over-blog.com

DJ Butta - TOP 10 OF THE WEEK as of 12/14/06
Mixwell USA / Cerritos, CA US / Director of Sales (www.mixwellusa.com)
Cerritos All Stars / Cerritos, CA US / DJ Butta (www.cerritosallstars.com)

Let There Be Light - Nas feat Trey Williams
Simple Song (Grant Phabao Remix) - The Procussions
Still Dreamin - Nas feat Kanye West
I Have A Dream - Common feat. Will.I.Am
King and Queen - Mary J Blige feat. John Legend
Clocks (Rhythms Del Mundo Version) - Coldplay
Ask Myself - Robin Thicke (feat Mary J Blige)
Look In The Mirror (Obatron Remix) - Native Guns
Wait A Minute - PCD's
Say It Right - Nelly Furtado

Links :
myspace.com/kjbutta
cerritosallstars.com
mixwellusa.com

Robert Luis Top 20 Chart [Tru Thoughts/Zebra Traffic/myspace.com/robertluisdj]

CURRENT CHART (CDR's & MP3's are for winners!)
01. That Version Of Sexual Healing That Quantic's Been Hammering (MP3)
Managed to blag an MP3 of Will but have to keep who it is under wraps for the moment as we are now in discussions trying to sign it
02. TM Juke / Come Away (Tru Thoughts 12")
The big dancefloor tune finally gets on vinyl.
03. Drumagick / Fiesta & Brazuca Do Mal (Trouble On Vinyl 12")
Blew the roof of the tent at Bestival. The bass is scary!!!
04. Omar / Your Mess (Mark De Clive Lowe Mix) (Ether 12")
The album's still on heavy rotation but loving this remix too.
05. Aaron Jerome / Late Night Mission (The Bump) (MP3)
Featuring Yungun with some funny party lyrics and a great uptempo party beat. Big!
06. Alice Russell / Humankind (Grant Phabao Mix) (Tru Thoughts MP3)
Another reggae remix from France that was just sent through to TT HQ.
07. Rup / Rup On Zebra EP (Zebra Traffic Promo 12")
I've been playing tracks from CDR for a while from Rup and I don't get asked about too many hip hop tunes when I play but a real mixture of people are asking me about Rup. Refreshing hip hop.
08. Various / Various (Rebtuz 12")
Next instalment sees remixes and edits of Art Blakey, Yummy Bingham, Diesler, Lupe Fiasco, J Dilla and Life dropping some truth about 'Bomb Propaganda'.
09. Skibadee / Tika Toc (Ahead Of The Game 12")
TM Juke got to drop this at Bestival and it is huge…when the beat kicks in on a big system it snaps your head!!!!
10. Freddie Cruger / Soul Search (Tru Thoughts LP)
Quite a few demos we get at Tru HQ say they are like Massive Attack. This album actually reminds me of Massive circa Blue Lines but for 21st Century (it doesn't sound like Massive). Reggae, Soul, Hip Hop and Funk fused in a way that could only be new.
11. The Elementz / On My Case feat Task Force (CDR)
Straight out of Nottingham. A 'Sound Of Da Police' anthem for the UK (finally!!!!).
12. Pharoah Monch / Push (Geffen MP3)
Gospel into hip hop and a good dig at George Bush too. What more can you want.
13. Zero Db / Bongos Beats and Basslines (Ninja Tune LP)
These guys are pioneers. Dirty and noisy but still musical.
14. Calibre / Drop It Down & Same Ole (Signature 12" & Liquid V 12")
Two massive Drum and Bass tunes from Calibre.
15. Bonobo / Days To Come (Ninja Tune LP)
With Bajka and Fink on vocals and Si on production this is a really amazing album. A definite album of 2006 contender.
16. Nostalgia 77 Octet / The Impossible Equation (Tru Thoughts LP)
Ben continues with his Jazz Jihad. Amazing pieces of music.
17. Feindrehstar / Dancetrack (Moonstrarr Mix) (Sonar Kollektiv 12")
You can't front on the drums. Dancefloor destroyer!!!
18. Luther Vandross / Shine (J 12")
Sampling Chic (like the current Puherman tune on Bingo).
19. Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra / I'm Thankful (Tru Thoughts LP)
The album is super heavy and can't wait for the live gigs with her later this year.
20. Lanu / Dis Information (Tru Thoughts CDR)
From the man behind the Bamboos. Great lyrics that are very relevant at a time when flying out of the UK is chaotic but there are no concerns about flying back!

TIMEC sur Properlychilled.com

French downtempo grooves and reggae stylings with a mad case of satyrical humor...
"What is true and not true (as in the names of the artists involved) can be hard to determine with this label, just as humor and seriousness are nearly indistinguishable. Everything T.I.M.E.C. do is presented with its own unique penchant for satire through tongue-in-cheek humor. Through all of it though, they've released some nice downtempo grooves and reggae stylings."

• Voir l'article sur Properlychilled.com
• Chronique de GRANT PHABAO - Kulchaklash
• Chronique de TIMEC - Time(c) To Relax
• Chronique de TIMEC - Electronic Bossa & Psychedelic Soul Samba
• Chronique de TIMEC - Noëlectro

Kulchaklash track-by-track commentary with Lone Ranger

01. Sweet Talking
This is Ranger doing some Sweet Talking for his daughter. Bouncy riddim.
02. Braeton Killings
This one has a more european crossover flavourish. Ray I is doing the original element.
03. Aya So We Deh
A chanting thing. An old Studio One roots tune I wanted to do for years. In this one we kinda have a singjay style...
04. High Grade
Wicked! Baad. A reasoning track. If you listen to it, smoke a spliff and go into meditation, you will go deep, very deep. It's a subliminal message for you to roll a big joint while listening to the album and relaxing. A goog meditation tune, this can soothe the mind.
05. Music Weh Dem Wan
Wicked. Wicked! Big tune! I'm trying to define a hip hop/reggae crossover there. Plenty style.
06. Rasta Roll Call
This one's alright. It has it's own flavour.
07. Fever
My favorite song on the whole album! For all these years I wanted to do "Fever" and I had to wait until I met Phabao and TIMEC to get it right. It's a combination style of Ranger, singer and deejay. Counteracting styles. Gliding in deejay style. Original 70 deejay style of Lone Ranger, you know.
08. Ethiopia
Chanting style. Inspiration style. Dedicated to my friends. With a wicked sax part. Late-ska/rocksteady flavour.
09. A Who
There's a lot of wool in a sheep's clothing. Rastaman, who are you?

It's a wicked album.
This a first one.
Many more coming, original Phabao style, but better!

The Lone Ranger - Interview - Dec. 2004
(the interview takes place in Grant Phabao's appartment in Paris)

Any historical biography details to mention?
Chester (Synmoie, Ranger's friend and manager) should be the one with the details, the likkle parts that I might have missed out... :-)

How did you meet (with Phabao)?
Through Fata (from the Soul Stereo Sound System, with whom Lone Ranger has been touring in Europe these recent years), who said "my friend is coming to Jamaica, you two should meet". So Phabao went to Jamaica, and that's where we met up. He wanted to do some recording with me and the crew.

Le Bateau Concorde Atlantique
face au 23 quai Anatole France
75007 Paris

Party feedback :
"moi , je vous garantis que je suis passé une fois à tout hasard, et là à ma grande surprise, je suis tombe sur Rork en premiere partie suivi de Paly Paul qui a littéralement détruit le dancefloor, c'était vraiment énorme.. Tout en sachant que ce fameux Play Paul qui est quand même un tueur au niveau des platines et des productions a terminé son set par un GRANT PHABAO pendant vingt minutes bourré de cut et d'effets, a réussi à me donner des frissons dans le dos, rien que d'y repenser je kiffe encore..."
Par realfunk

Link :
parisbouge.com

Extrait de MP3 Magazine numéro 5 - Juin 2001
Edition papier

1) Tnargoabaph - Fly (part 1) / Fly (part 2) / Le Truc
On n'avait pas entendu un dubman aussi décalé depuis les rééditions du label Blood & Fire. Et pourtant, les grosses basses, les grosses réverbes et le gros delay de Tnargoabaph viennent confirmer ce décalage. Peut-être pas autant que des schtroumpfs dans un épisode de Batman, mais quand même!
Entre la jungle urbaine et deux ou trois plantes équatoriales, on retrouve trois titres dub à souhait, même si "Le Truc" est une revanche personnelle contre la french touch devenue trop tiède. Alors, point de doute sur les intentions du bonhomme: il faut s'allonger pour comprendre. Et c'est l'oreille pendante et les yeux dans le vague que vous verrez, d'un écho infernal à un pied de grosse caisse distillée dans le temps, jaillir le talent d'un grand nom (en 11 lettres!)... il suffit de prendre d'assaut le sofa.