Ah, summer. As the weather heats up, and my pants get shorter, it's time to start making my holiday plans. I've settled on somewhere tropical this year, and Leipzig, Germany is at the top of my list. Yeah, I know the Fatherland is nowhere near the equator, but you wouldn't know it from the fantastic reggae being produced there by the Jahtari label.
Reggae purists might be spitting at their screens when they read this, but the artists on the label construct their island sounds solely by laptop. Jatari says "we have a burning passion for old school dub and reggae, but wanted to experiment using our laptops to see if it was possible to draw something soulful from a machine". Thank Christ, they seem to have succeeded.
Of the two songs we've made available for download below, Jahtari Massive by Afrikan Simba and Roota most closely resemble the type of reggae your used to; echo-y vocals and a bit of the old "hey, lets just add some beats and synth to the mix". Vigilante Dub by the Jahtari Riddim Force on the other hand, is much more out there and indicative of what the collective are really about. I feel high just listening to it. But I know for a fact Jahtari are way better than these two selections. If you happened to catch their live set on Mary Ann Hobbs' show last week, you know what I'm talking about. 20 odd minutes of innovative, psychotic irie. If they happen to play a gig anywhere near you, go. No excuses.
So go ahead and take your easyjet to Spain, or the Balkins, or wherever it is you go dogging these days. I'll be packing the board shorts and sunscreen and heading to a German city center in search of laptop reggae.
Soulful dub with a 2.66 GHz heart.
Jahtarian Dubbers Vol 1 is out now.
What next?More reviews? More reggae?