Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2012

Damian Marley interview by Marvin Sparks

History has shown artists emerging from the shadows of a global superstar will always have immense difficulty attempting to carve a name for themselves. Sharing the surname with arguably the most iconic artist the world has ever seen makes it harder to be anything other than "Oh, you mean [insert superstar's name] relative?" especially when two of your older siblings are Grammy Award winners.  Father Bob Marley 's legacy will forever be at the forefront of the Marley name, but youngest son Damian "Jr. Gong/Gong Zilla" Marley manages to be a respected artist in his own right. Born in Kingston, Jamaica to Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica's winner of Miss World 1976, the future legend deejay has two Grammy-award winning albums under his belt and a critically-acclaimed collaborative LP with legend hip hopper, Nas. Despite winning Best Reggae Grammy-award in 2002 for Halfway Tree, the self-proclaimed youngest veteran burst on the international music scene tel

Marvin Sparks interview dancehall producers Orange Hill Production

" Orange Hill Productions are a fresh production outfit from the UK poised to explode on the world with a funky fusion they dub “Electro Bashy.” The duo have already built an extensive musical history. Ras Kwame is known for hosting the  HomeGrown Show  on BBC Radio 1Xtra and producing UK Garage club classics as M-Dubs; his production partner Jnr Tubby (a/k/a Dialtone), great-nephew of dub pioneer King Tubby, has built beats for American MCs like Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana. With their first official single  “Wine De Best”  (which matches versatile dancehall/reggae star Busy Signal with UK wordsmith Kano and hypeman/radio personality/reality TV guy Fatman Scoop) set to drop in the US and internationally next week, and our headphones still scorching from their introductory  Electro Bashy: Welcome to Our Sound  mixtape, we sent our UK correspondent Marvin Sparks to their North London studio to find out what exactly Electro Bashy is, why Kwame and Tubby feel dancehall needs a shock

Words I wrote in national newspaper, Guardian!

So last week Friday, 29th June I had my first piece of writing in a national newspaper. And it was a double-page spread! I wrote about 8 reggae and dancehall acts you need to know. My parents are extremely proud of me, which makes the achievement that much sweeter for me. My dad called to tell me he saw the piece quoted on one of his most visited website Jamaica Observer . "Marvin you've gone global" he said. At least they have something positive to say about me to their mates, ay? lol Response has been humbling, even David Rodigan tweeted to say he read it. The great David Rodigan. Loads of people happy to see a positive reggae piece in the Guardian for once. Definitely one of my goals achieved. At the end of the day, I just want to see my music and a main part of my culture represented properly. Everything else comes after. The comments on the site show I still have a long way to go, but I will try my best. Big up everyone else trying. To read the full Guardian a