"American reggae fans tend to know Jah Shaka, if at all, as the producer under whose name a series of excellent instrumental dub albums were released in the 1970s. But in England he's known for operating one of the most successful and longest-lived traditional reggae sound systems -- a mobile, open-air, DJ-driven dance party -- in the country. This disc is a compilation of roots reggae tracks selected by Jah Shaka, as if for a sound system dance, and it demonstrates what has set him apart from his peers: not only an unrelenting focus on roots-and-culture material (to the strict exclusion of dancehall vulgarity, or 'slackness') but a deep knowledge of reggae history that never devolves into mere cleverness or snobbery. ... Jah Shaka's particular genius seems to be for creating dance sets that simultaneously promote enthusiastic skanking and thoughtful introspection."
allmusic (Video)
YouTube: The Positive Message (Album)
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