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Congo Beat The Drum

23/12/2016Kalbata And Mixmonster Release Documentary Retracing The Origins Of Jamaican Music
 

Fortuna Records' Kalbata, aka Ariel Tagar, teamed up with fellow producer Mixmonster, aka Uri Wertheim, to produce an album as well as a newly released documentary entitled "Congo Beat The Drum", retracing the origins of Jamaican music. Well actually, the story goes a little something like this:

"Ariel and Uriwent into their home studio in Tel Aviv, Israel with the purpose of recording a 100% analogue dub album in the spirit of the late King Tubby and the early dancehall era of the late 70's and early 80's. A 16-track tape machine and an old analogue mixing desk were their main instruments, with musicians playing live all throughout the album. A year after recording the instrumental backing tracks, they travelled to Kingston, Jamaica and started tracking down their favourite singers and deejays from days gone by."

The result is not just a great album, featuring the likes of Puddy Roots, Little John, Major Mackerel, Mutabaruka, Trinity, Jah Thomas, Tullo T, Echo Minott or the late Prince Jazzbo, but also a highly entertaining and equally informative 1-hour documentary shot by Ariel himself, or as UK-based online mag Stamp The Wax puts it, "a unique musical journey into the forgotten corners of reggae of the seventies and eighties, and a rare glimpse into the smoky, dusty world of Rub-a-Dub and its past champions" . Watch below...

AUTHOR: Lev Nordstrom