Sons of Negus is a group led by Ras Michael. Many of the big acts from Jamaica such as Bob Marley were devoutly Rastafari. But few were quite as intensely and single-mindedly spiritual in their music as Ras Michael was. He was one of the musicians who brought traditional Rastafari Nyabinghi music to wider audiences.…
06/02/2020: “Rapp Snitch Knishes” by MF DOOM featuring Mr. Fantastik
If you’re wondering, that lovely LA sunset guitar riff is from a 1977 song by David Matthews called Space Oddity. It’s sped up, and brings along the…
05/02/2021: “It’s Alright” by Sterling Void
Imagine being there in a 1987 Chicago nightclub hearing this for the first time. The rough, raw bassline, the euphoric piano, the powerful vocals. Must…
04/02/2021: “Handsome” by The Vaccines
Not every song needs to be a 7 minute long magnum opus. A short burst of power and vibrancy is ideal sometimes! The Vaccines certainly…
03/02/2021: “Remember The Roller” by Dr S Gatchet
Released in 1995, this Jungle classic foreshadowed a later development in Drum & Bass – the rise of rollers. Many people argue that rollers is…
02/02/2021: “Age Of The Train” by International Teachers Of Pop
This is very much art school Synthpop. It’s classy, fairly tame, and tries hard to be groundbreaking. I don’t know how much it succeeds on…
01/02/2021: “Do The Strand” by Roxy Music
What an opening. The tension builds from the start, as the ominous piano vamp strains into the launch. From that point, you’re treated to some…
31/01/2021: “XYZ” by Hardy Caprio featuring SL
Hardy Caprio and SL are hot property in the UK scene. So of course their collaboration is a banger! They have different styles – SL…
30/01/2021: “Party Of Special Things To Do” by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band
Captain Beefheart is weird. Maybe that’s why he often created music which nobody else had thought of before. His distinctive gravelly voice spells out a…
29/01/2021: “Satisfy My Soul” by Bob Marley
Out of a long and distinguished body of work, this remains one of Bob Marley’s most enduring songs. It’s obvious from the lyrics that the…