Chatting With Benji Revelation Ahead of Rub-a-Dublin Session

We caught up with the one and only Rebel County Sound Man, Benji Revelation, to ask him a few questions leading up to this Sunday's Rub-a-Dublin session. Here's what he had to say!
 
IMR: Greetings Benji. For the uninitiated, Revelation Sound System are a collective and sound system from Cork. Can you give a quick intro as to exactly who and what is involved in a full show?
 
RSS: Yes I Mialodica and Benji Revelation are the owners and operators of Revelation Sound System, bringing roots and dub reggae to the people in a traditional style. At a "Revelation" dance one will find our custom built sound system delivering a selection of uplifting dubs and dubplate exclusives. Vocals and melodica with low whistles and effects spice up the runnings. A lively dance with the aim to unite people is the flavour. Bringing in our own sound with heavy power bass is essential for full vibes.



IMR: Revelation Sound System are fast approaching 20 years of sound system culture in Ireland. Can you tell us a little about how you started  on this path and what the landscape was like back then?

RSS: Yes. We started running selections of conscious reggae on pirate stations and parties to begin with. After a few long residencies in Cork venues we felt the best way forward was to build up our own sound that could really deliver this bass driven music in full. Knowledge of deep dubs was limited to a small number to begin with ... Firehouse Skank, ROOTICAL, and ourselves combined plenty dances in the early days with guests from the U.K to cultivate the vibes, and the road kept opening up. Now a great amount of people here are well wrapped up in dub music. After 17 years we're glad to now see some of our own tunes getting released. 2015 going to see more releases and plenty of festivals and dances from Revelation.
 




IMR: How do you find the reggae/bass music scene and culture in Ireland right now? 
 
RSS: Right now Irieland bubbling hot! Nuff new crews and plenty original sounds now pushing the dub&bass culture ... a total delight for us here. Now you find more attendance and awareness at the dances ... great to see how far we've come with Irish artists now on the International reggae circuit.


IMR:Your recent involvement with the Trenchtown Crew at Electric Picnic became a big hit with everyone that passed by the woods any day during the weekend. Can you tell us a little bit about the past two years at Electric Picnic and how you guys have found the process?


RSS: Trenchtown had us play a few times in the past on their stage and a move was made to bring us in with the sound system in 2013, to set a Dubstation going. Smooth runnings and great reactions led us to get a next invite for 2014 with a bigger stage and more exposure. We had three stacks of speakers(16 18" bass speaker) set for all revelers till the wee hours. A huge success with a full program showcasing Irieland's finest selectors, producers and live dub crews over three days and nights has us smiling inside, still. To see large crowds being exposed to dub on a proper level has been a huge blessing for us. Being part of the Trenchtown arena has brought this rasta sound to people at the Picnic that may not have known Irieland's rich culture in dub. To see selectors and crews delivering their music in full brings a great vibe for all involved.


IMR: The other big project you guys are involved with is the WBC (World Bass Culture) gigs in Cork. Can you fill us in on those sessions?
 
RSS: World Bass Revelation nights are a unity collective of Revelation and the World Bass Culture coming together in dub&bass ... blistering dub steppas onto total exploration in bass music and our own productions are the flavours. These nights are being received very well. Radikal Guru an original WBC member is on the way for the next dance: Ras Tinny and Cian Finn in action with Revelation & WBC massive - this will be a family occasion inna Cork for sure. Visuals to inspire all dancers is a big part of these productions. VJ Present is our visual weaver.

World Bass Revelation is on the way to Dublin on November 21st at The Pint - hold tight y'all, Revelation on the way! Looking forward to Rumble boom bam bim on the liffey with all at Rub-a-Dublin ... Loveness & Niceness. Irieland we dehya!

IMR: We're looking forward to having you guys up to the capitol and hearing the bins rumble at the Rub-a-Dublin session this Sunday. BIG UP!

Origin One Interview

The latest release on Irish Moss comes to us from our mates in Nottingham, Origin One (featuring the legendary Cheshire Cat of course.) We caught up with Origin One for a quick chat about the group, linking up with Cheshire Cat and the general music scene in Nottingham. 

 
IMR: There are several members in Origin One. Can we get a quick

breakdown of who's involved, and what everyone's respective role is?

Origin One: Yeah we’ve had a few people make up Origin One. It consists of myself (Kev) making and DJing the beats, Parisa and Ben on the vocals. We’ve had Bru-c joining as a host and MC over the past 6 months or so. Previously we’ve also had Percydread (The Naturalites) & K.O.G  (The Zongo Brigade) join us for shows too, alongside a few extra guests here and there. Me and Parisa deal with a lot of the day to day, Press, PR and digi-media. 

IMR: How did you guys get linked up with Cheshire Cat for this release?

Origin One: I met Cheshire Cat last year when we recorded a dubplate for our friends from

Roots/20 HZ/Rubberdub Sound System, and we stayed in touch from there essentially. I’d had a lot of love for Luv Injection and the olschool Brum sound system crew so it was an honour to have him on board.

IMR: Are the jungle/bass/reggae scenes pretty prevalent in Nottingham?

Origin One:Yeah there’s becoming a really strong scene for bass music in Nottingham and it has a strong community feeling. All my friends at Rubberdub have been pushing strong steppas, dancehall, jungle, garage and grime vibes for years. There’s also our friends at Tumble smashing the UK funky and grime scene. Even for techno you have the Wigflex guys. There’s also the guys at Takeover bringing a strong Nottingham reggae scene, so everyone’s on point at the moment. 

IMR: I think we can safely say the summer has come to a close. Did you guys have any standout festival sets?

Origin One: We did Soundwave in Croatia, that was nice - playing bass music next to a beach in the sun’s ideal. We also did a boat party alongside Gentleman's Dub Club too. I got a chance to play loads of old two-tone, ska and reggae, right up to loads of dancehall and bashment. That was a wicked vibe.

Also, this year Boomtown was wicked. We were lucky enough to play on the Tangled Roots stage, set up by Lionpulse and Unit 137. Those guys were really sound and that stage had a good vibe, I spent most the weekend there on a steppas vibe! The crowd reaction there was really positive.

IMR: What are you guys working on now? When will we see your next release?

Origin One: We have a few bits and pieces up our sleeve. Everyone has solo commitments, so we’ll spend up to Christmas sorting some bits and pieces and writing some new music. I have a few digi dancehall remixes to work, so just keeping moving forward is the priority at the moment.

While we wait for the next bits and pieces from Origin One, grab your copy of "Good Ganja" here. If Juno isn't your thing, this release will also be available on itunes. Good fi di body! 

RUB-A-DUBLIN REGGAE FESTIVAL - ROUND 3

Irish Moss Records & Bodytonic announce

RUB-A-DUBLIN REGGAE FESTIVAL

Round 3

Music all day across 4 Rooms, 3 Floors, Cinema, Record Store, Caribbean BBQ & You!

12 Months after the inaugural Bank holiday Sunday Reggae Festival, RUB-A-DUBLIN is back with a boom in Round 3. 

Since hosting headline acts SIR DAVID RODIGAN, GENERAL LEVY, TROJAN SOUND SYSTEM and CAPITOL 1212 to name but a few of the heavyweight performers who brought the fyah to Dublin’s Twisted Pepper, the good word has spread among Rub-A-Dubliners.

Those present in Trenchtown, Electric Picnic this year will have experienced the wealth of national talent to be heard on Ireland’s ever growing reggae scene. With that in mind & in celebration of our home grown artists, we present an almost all Irish line up.

Ireland’s own Reggae Troubadour CIAN FINN will be joined by special guest, Poland’s prodigal son RADIKAL GURU. Having collaborated on various past projects they bring a unique dub set. Expect positive vibes and plenty of energy from the duo, billed to headline the Live Room.

Cork’s Rasta Rebels REVELATION SOUND SYSTEM will be powering the Live Room with their custom built and finely tuned speaker stack. Festival goers will have no doubt felt the bass this summer in Trenchtown’s Inna Da Woods Arena where the crew welcomed many guest performers and threw an unforgettable reggae party.

Irish hip-hop pioneer RÍ RA (Scary Eire) makes a welcome return to the capital following a hectic summer schedule tearing up festival stages across the country

DIRTY DUBSTERS take a break from producing their second album to rock a new live dub set with live percussion, and are set to perform some exclusive album tracks with Dublin based hip-hop duo PRISONERS OF AUDIO (Leiko Tola & Russell Flow).

Local Selecta's warming up the Stage room are Dublin stalwarts, LEX WOO & TOM BEARY. 

The ever buzzing Cafe area will again by hosted by Irish Legend DJ RAM bringing his pop-up version of Temple Bars InDub Records, providing Vinyl, CD's, Clothes, Merchandise and most importantly that vibe we know and love! 

That’s just one of three floors...

The Basement Room hosts the Jamaican Cinema screening of ''Bringing it back home'' in association with the Hemp Company, while SIM SIMMA DJ’s provide the ragga riddims on the rooftop garden alongside the Reggae Buffet serving up authentic Caribbean sounds & cuisine. JOHN LEMON will serving fresh Juices and a special RUB-A-DUBLIN cocktail to keep you refreshed all day long.

Music Line up:

CIAN FINN & RADIKAL GURU | REVELATION SOUND SYSTEM | DIRTY DUBSTERS ft. POA | RÍ RA | TOM BEARY | LEX WOO | SIM SIMMA DJ’s | DJ RAM & GUESTS  

Sunday 26th

Twisted Pepper

Middle Abbey St

Dublin 1

4pm – til late

Bodytonicmusic.com

FREE Admission for the first 100 through the doors B4 6pm!

€12/€10 thereafter.

Visit Facebook & Twitter for further info.

Capitol 1212 Interview

We caught up with our Scottish Brethren Dave & Kenny of Capitol 1212 to get the scoop on how life has been since releasing their brilliant album: 

''The Return of Rudy Nacho'' 

Greetings lads, 

IMR: By now most people will be aware of the Album. How has life been since its release?

Capitol 1212: Life has been great, it's been BIG year for us music wise, life wise and fun wise. 

IMR: There is an absolutely massive line up of UK all-star vocalists on there. How did those links come about - longtime friends and colleagues or people you guys admired and wanted to reach out to? 

Capitol 1212: We've been doing this for time now so we've built up lot of links and friendships, when we started to make the album we had a list of all our favourite artists ,some we knew ,some we didn't .  It was almost like this is going to be a shitload of work we might as well go for what we really want or what's the point.  We reached out and were lucky that everyone could see the vision or had faith in us and got involved. We truly are blessed as the artists on the LP are legends and stars , we never take it for granted and are truly privileged to have them work with us. 

IMR: Since being signed by this Irish label, you guys have been over twice in the past few months for Rubadublin Reggae Festival and more recently the Electric Picnic festival. How were those experiences and how do you guys find the Irish crowds (Answer carefully now fellas:) 

Capitol 1212: Both have been amazing we truly feel part of the Irish Moss Records fam and are proud of it,  whenever the label put a new release out by different artists we're like dam we're glad to be part of this movement. So it is great to catch up with everyone when we are over.  Both gigs have been hell of a party and that's what we like , tho I would say Electric Picnic the hospitality was too good ha ha, was all a lil hazy . The reggae scene is great there, in fact music is so important to people in Ireland , it reminds me of Jamaica in that way .

IMR: Is there any particular festival or gig that stands out for you this summer?

Capitol 1212: To be honest the Irish gigs have been stand out ones ,also Boomtown Fair was pretty epic , we've also enjoyed some of the more promo style gigs for the LP , the TV and Radio ones as it has given us opportunity to hang and perform with some of the artists and fam on the LP.

IMR: There is a new single "Lif Up"on the way from yourselves and Tenor Fly: Tell us a little about it:

Capitol 1212: Yeah excited about this one, it's a big jungle track and it was the first track from LP to get a lot radio play and love .We've worked with Tenor Fly in the past ,in fact one of our biggest singles "Don man Sound" was with him. It's always great to work with Fly he's a genius, my first dj gig when I was 16 I remember playing  Tenor Fly records , I'm now 36 and writing and recording music with the man and actually still playing those same records out when I DJ. Timeless music and hopefully our music with him will be as well . The song is a powerful uplifting song but for all the people out there struggling.

IMR: Finally anymore exciting collabs / projects in the pipeline you can tell us about? 

Capitol 1212: We have just finished working on some music for punk ska band Sonic Boom Six's album which is cool, also couple of remixes for people like J Star. Then we are taking little time out for couple months in winter, Kenny is working on solo material and I'm having some family time but we have lot of ideas for when we get back in studio. Looking forward to making new 1212 songs and representing our Irish Moss fam in 2015

The new single from Capitol 1212 ft Tenor Fly "Lif Up" is out now on Irish Moss Records
Juno (exclusive) 15-9-2014 
Itunes (22-9-2014)

The 'What's What' with Bluntskull

While it makes it's way around dance floors & across the airwaves. Irish Moss H.Q caught up with the man behind the heavy hitting 'Blunt Force E.P'

IMR: Hey Man, so for the uninitiated. . . How exactly has a New Yorker started living in Vietnam and releasing tracks on an Irish record label? Can you give us a brief low-down?

Bluntskull: To start with, I have to give thanks to Liondub. I was still in NY when I got a message from him on Soundcloud saying "You should connect with my boy DJ Obese from the Dirty Dubsters. They'd love and respect your music like crazy." So I contacted you guys and the rest is history. I bounce around a lot so Vietnam is just the backdrop for the time being.

IMR: Your sound seems to go one of two possible ways (As far as we know anyway) Party starting mashup's or straight head-nodding ragga hip-hop, ode straight to the early 1990's. What and who has influenced you in your productions?

Bluntskull: A major influence on my sound is the era when dancehall mixed with hip-hop in the early '90s. Producers like Bobby Konders helped build that bridge and I've been in love with that sound ever since. To me, there were never enough of those tracks and the genre was very fringe and short-lived. I'd like to do my part to bring back that early '90s ragga hip-hop sound. Having said that, I still love ragga in all shapes and forms and do dabble in other sub-genres of it like jungle and breakbeat.

IMR: The Blunt Force EP is a heavy duty release. Three serious Deejays spitting on each set of hiphop breaks again very much ode to that classic 90's style. How did the collaborations come about? Are these three veterans people that had been on the Bluntskull radar for a while or did they just come about as these things seem to do in the digital era?

Bluntskull: Burro Banton was always someone I wanted to work with. I've loved his style since the early '90s so naturally I jumped at the chance to do a track with him. I noticed that you guys (Dirty Dubsters) did a track with him so I knew you had the connection to make it happen. 

I knew Tippa Irie was planning to come through Saigon town so I sent him some of my beats hoping he'd like one of them enough to do something over it. I liked what I heard on his demo and got to hang out with him for a minute when he was over here. 

My first single 'Bus' it in 2' featured Blackout JA. I love his gruff voice so I thought I'd enlist him again for the final track on the EP. He blesses any track he's on.

IMR: Speaking of a Digital Era and an online world. . . It's hard to find much about you online. Has this been by design or default? You want to remain quite anonymous or you just can't be arsed logging online everyday?

Bluntskull: Haha! Maybe it's because I'm still pretty new to producing (Been at it for two and a half years now). Also, I'm not a self-promoter. I like the music to speak for itself. I'm not sure what else I can do besides put tunes on my Soundcloud page and mixes on Mixcloud.

IMR: Any plans to do any shows in US / Europe over the next year? Also please let us know if there are anymore EPs, Edits or general Blunt-Goodness to look forward to.

Bluntskull: I would like to make it to Europe in the summer of '15 to do some gigs for sure. I hope I can turn out another E.P by then too. If not, then at least another single or two. Be on the lookout for some forthcoming releases on I.M.R and Dirty Dubster Digital. The best way to hear about Bluntskull would be to keep an eye on Soundcloud. I like to throw out freebie tracks now and again too. 

IMR: Any final words before you go deep underground for a while?

Bluntskull: Thanks as always to the Dirty Dubsters for supporting my stuff. Hope to slowly emerge from my cocoon in the months and years to come!

''No Rest'' for the Redeyed Mancunian Soundmen!

EZ All!

"No Rest" the latest IMR release with Manchester sound crew Red Eye Hi-Fi is doing the bizz at dances around the world right now, and feedback has been outstanding! We caught up with the riddim creators themselves for a quick Q&A ...

IMR: Hey Jack, the ''No Rest'' EP features vocals from hometown lad MC Fox and Parly B from Doncaster, its a strong collaboration from the North of England on this one, how did these links come about?

RedEye: Fox is a big part of the Manchester scene, as his style is so versatile, so working with Fox seemed a natural choice as we are pushing a few different genres too. He put down the 'No Rest' vocal a few weeks after we first played a show with him a year or so ago, and since then we have played up and down the country with him and have some wicked tunes in the pipeline, so watch this space. Theres a massive movement in Manchester at the moment, with so much vocal talent, so we're lucky to be able to work with some of the best artists in the country right now - shouts to Kathika, Skittles and Yemi Bolatiwa to name a few.

We first linked Parly around the same time and recorded 'Pose Up' and a little while later 'Need Some Rest'. He's grown into one of the biggest MCs in the scene in the time that we've known him and he absolutely deserves it, Parly is a true gentleman and a wicked MC.

IMR: Tell us a little bit about the video, we love this video here at IMR (and so do the general public it would seem as we come close to 40k views) Who's responsible for the concept? Was it all shot locally? Anyone you wanna shout out for taking part or helping out?

RedEye: Yeah big up DLO productions on the video & concept. We are working with DLO on a few other projects, so expect more where that came from. Also big up 'StandBy Studios' for supporting the 'No Rest' shoot and look out for our next track & video dropping in the next couple of weeks - 'Lights Out' featuring Kathika and filmed by StandBy...

IMR: Do you guys have a vibrant scene for Reggae/Dancehall shows in Manchester and the surrounding areas? Can you tell us a bit about how things are up there?

RedEye: There is a growing scene in Manchester. Theres always been Reggae and Dancehall in this city but in the last few years it seems to have become a little more popular. The night we run alongside the Dub Smugglers, 'Pressure Drop', has been wicked in the last couple of years. We've brought acts like Soom T, Mungo's Hifi, Iration Steppas, Dreadsquad, 7ft Soundsystem, Riddim Tuffa and loads more in the last 18 months and weve got some wicked lineups to announce for after the summer...

IMR: What Festivals are Redeye Hifi appearing at this summer? Also what set up do you guys run for the live shows/gigs? 

RedEye: We've played Glastonbury and Beatherder so far, and still got Boomtown and Outlook in Croatia to come (You can catch us at Boomtown on Saturday 9th on the Hidden Woods Stage 4.15-5.15 and Tangled Roots stage 9-11). Our live show usually consist of us and a one or combination of the MCs we work with, genres such as Dub, Dancehall, Grime, Drum and Bass and Bashment, and allot of energy.

IMR: Do you guys have any new projects coming out on any other labels this summer? 

RedEye: Look out for 'Lights Out' ft. Kathika coming out in the next couple of weeks, then in September, look out for the 'Raise The Alarm' EP dropping on NB Audio featuring many of the artists mentioned above and more.

Nice one, big up Irish Moss Records!

Buy the EP now on Itunes: 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/no-rest/id891992132

Red Eye Hi Fi ft. Fox - No Rest on MUZU.TV.

Red Eye Hi-Fi - "No Rest" E.P. (ft. Fox and Parly B) (IMR025) OUT NOW!!

Massive...It hits the streets TODAY!

Yes the soundsystem shaking UK Dub offering from Manchester's Red Eye Hi-Fi is here for real and should be shaking the scoops at the session for what's left of the summer and into the darker evenings...

The sub shattering Red Eye riddim gets double treatment, with versions for vocalists Fox and Parly B to lyricise, and has been reconstructed by the baddest of names, like Dirty Dubsters, Marcus Visionary, Balkans Hi-Fi, Danny T & Tradesman. Add to this the original instrumental riddim and you got yourself a killer EP, and one Irish Moss Records have been proud to work with all concerned upon.

Here's a listen to the whole thing top to bottom, and a look at the superb video shot on the Fox original. If you've got the fever go grab this stack of badness now you can download from your favourite services below...Peace!

iTunes
Juno Download
Kudos



Red Eye Hi Fi ft. Fox - No Rest on MUZU.TV.