PUNKCAST#171

Boukman Eksperyans
Jah Shaka
Central Park Summerstage
June 23rd 2002
sponsored by
WWWhatsup Online Pinstand
with thanks to Summerstage
and Converge Records


'just a rastaman in new york'

Back in the golden days of punk rock, it would amaze visitors to London to find that we listened to so much rockers and rubadub reggae. As we moved in to the more existential post-punk era, a hard-core became dedicated followers of Jah Shaka's unique high-energy 'warrior-style' youthman sound system (as mentioned by Viv Goldman in PUNKCAST#143). Apart from being a hot seller on the pinstand, Shaka catalysed much of the dub experimentation that was a vital element of 80's UK new-wave. Later, in the 90's, the energy of his music was a foundation of the uptempo ragga and jungle styles. Today it inspires modern dub such as Zion Train and Iration Steppas. Summerstage booker Walter Durkacz took advantage of a rare Shaka visit to the US for the Sierra Nevada reggae fest to snag him for his first major east coast appearance, a dj slot on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon in Central Park. In another turn of good fortune, I was contacted by Converge Records to shoot Boukman Eksperyans, a Haitian crew out of Brooklyn that were playing right before and was thus blessed with a photo pass. Ari Up & Wilton, Vivien, and a good few of the Reggae Vibes posse were in attendance. Shaka did not disappoint, playing strong tunes, flashing wild moves, and firmly chanting, all in a thoroughly positive manner, and in a classic sound system style. The crowd, already warmed up by a very energetic set from Boukman, loved it.







I have mastered up the whole set to video-cd and it's possible that it will be available cheap via the pinstand, subject to approval from Shaka. If interested email orders@pinstand.com with the subject=shakaVCD.


capture captain: joly

www.culturepromotions.com
WWWhatsup - Jah Shaka
WWWhatsup - Boukman Eksperyans

Yahoo! group - Reggae Vibes

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