|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
PASOR 003LP
|
Professor Skank is by far the most well-known Greek dub producer, with a number of great releases and collaborations. Born and raised in the Cretan Agios Nikolaos, he experimented with the genre at a really young age on a 4-track recorder in early '90s. A period of blending and maturing followed that led to his days with Greek reggae band Soul Fire and then the great days came. Meeting Mad Professor was a turning point for him, and he was initiated into dub from a living legend. In the following years, their collaboration allowed Professor Skank to use the legendary Ariwa studios, remixing and working with great artists of reggae and dub such as Max Romeo, Zion Train, Aswad, Love Grocer, Afrikan Simba, and many others. In 2006, his first solo album Industrial Democracy was released through Universal Music. Based in his studio, he kept on producing music, releasing it on international labels and presenting it all around the world. This led to him being the first Greek musician to ever appear at the Glastonbury Festival, Great Britain's most famous music festival. Professor Skank now presents his second solo album Digital Revolution, a project that starts off with spoken-word contribution from Mad Professor. This album brings together two different cultures, the Cretan musical tradition and the Jamaican reggae/dub one. In his studio, surrounded by traditional instruments and music gurus, he recorded the musicians playing in reggae/dub rhythms, rhythms that up to then were unknown to them. The result reveals amazing new paths in Greek and dub reggae traditions. Reggae singer Earl 16 offers his unique voice on "The Money Pressure," accompanying Nigel Farage's dramatic speech on Greek's economic problem. Professor Skank's love for vocal samples is something easily noticed on the Digital Revolution album -- a way to express himself through the voice of others for all those things that trouble him. And where the samples end, the voice of MC J Fyah from the Moca Juniors takes over and gives a festive touch to the project. Where the European south meets Jamaican culture and the Cretan tradition welcomes the soul of Wareika Hill, there we can find the Digital Revolution.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
PASOR 002CD
|
JK Soul discovered a new vision for his album Take Me Higher with vocalist Lala Pumpkin. He wanted to show the world his wide range of production skills and his capability of moving through different styles of electronic music with class. Electronic music has always been his playground so now house, dubstep, drum & bass, together with touches of reggae and soul are equal parts in his new creations, all of which are there to enrich his unique and famous hip-hop-based beats and soul-influenced trip-hop trademarks. Lala Pumpkin's voice moves the listener far away, across the European borders to the west side of the Atlantic, sounding fresh and full of emotion, but at the same time strong and certain of her capabilities as a funk diva. From the surf-inspired bass on the opening track "Blow Rider" which blends masterfully with his heavy beats and Lala's funk-oriented vocals, to the dubstep monster that provides the album with its title and "La Kitara" and "Trumpet Anthem," he composes tunes that will put a smile on everybody's face. Cayetano supplies the base on which JK builds his wonderful remix of the track "Be My Queen," combining massive hip-hop beats with a dubstep touch while Rebel Elementz offer their voices in the reggae "Rebel Anthem." "Summer Goodbye" will definitely be a hit on every beach, and at the end of the trip JK Soul gives us "Cat Fish," a downtempo composition flirting with early '40s blues, and the slow-moving "Hurts."
|