Global Reggae Charts - Issue #2 / June 2017

issue # 2 | june 2017
monthly magazine
featured voters
Don Wackie
& Jah Rebel
from Back 2 Bass
featured artists
Inna de
voters inside
Yard
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

editorial
Welcome to the second edition of the Global Reggae Charts. As is the case with every new service
in beta, we are still experimenting and optimizing all aspects of the charts. I believe we made significant
progress over the last month.
Before I go into details, allow me a general remark: charts are only valuable if you can trust them.
An essential ingredient to that trust is understanding how they work. Therefore, transparency is
very high on our priority list. Thus, I’ll use this space to update you about changes we’ve made and
challenges we face. So, what’s new since last month?
First, we adjusted the maximum age of songs and albums that qualify for the charts. New entries
mustn‘t be older than six months (as indicated by the official release date), releases already in the
#2
charts can remain there up until one year after their release. In the first voting round, we encountered
several considerably older releases. Since the charts are intended as a guide based on contemporary
relevance - not all time greatness - we think the change will help. We are aware the decision
might come with its own set of implications. It’s for instance possible to have a sleeper tune that
gains significance over time. We are going to monitor the situation closely and adjust when necessary.
We also made an update in the usability area. Voters now see a list of all the songs from past votings
that qualify (see point above). It is a long list of all the songs that received at least one vote.
It makes voting easier. The risk is that we create a bias towards using songs from that list. But we
think that’s negligible: we list every qualified song, regardless of the number of votes it received.
Again: it’s a long list. It contained 183 songs - after only one month of voting, with a limited number
of voters. We think it’s a fair trade-off between usability and equal opportunity.
The results so far seem to support that: singles voting this month had roughly 100 new entries -
which equates to 54% of first-time songs. And we had 20 first-time albums (34%). This trend is also
reflected in the actual charts: the album charts have four new entries - a 30% turnover rate - and
the single charts have 12 new entries (60%). Three top 20 singles didn’t receive any votes before.
It’s a higher turnover than we expect in the long-run, once the voter base has reached a decent
scale.
This leads to the final point: While voter turnout increased by 52%, we are still talking about a far
from representative sample. That said, thanks to the support of our media partners and several
radio stations, the charts are “on the map” now. We are looking forward to increased voter participation
over the next months and are very optimistic that we are working on a very useful service
for the global reggae community. I hope you are too. As always: any feedback is much appreciated!
Cheers
Thomas
Thomas Euler is founder of the German reggae & dancehall blogazine
whagwaan-magazine.de
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

Album single Charts | top 20
Period Ending 31/05/2017
Contributing voters: 45
europe
# LM Artist Song Label
1 - Damian Marley
Medication
feat. Stephen Marley
Universal Music
↑ 2 8 Jah Sun Guess Who Sugar Cane Records
3 - Protoje Blood Money Mr Bongo
4 - Morgan Heritage
↑ 5 19 David Lion
We Are feat. Kabaka Pyramid
& Dre Island
Peaceful Warrior
feat. Anthony B
Cool To Be Conscious
Music Group
Sugar Cane Records
6 - Chronixx Skanking Sweet Soul Circle Music
7 - Chronixx Likes Soul Circle Music
8 - Hempress Sativa Rock It Ina Dance Conquering Lion Records
9 1 Talisman Relijan Sugar Shack Records
↑ 10 16 Hempress Sativa Fight For Your Rights Conquering Lion Records
11 2 Havana meets Kingston
Carnival feat. Solis
& Randy Valentine
Baco Records
12 - Dactah Chando AfroCanario Achinech Productions
13 - Mungo‘s Hi Fi
Rain Keeps Falling
feat. Johnny Clarke
Scotch Bonnet Records
14 - Chronixx Majesty Universal Music
15 14 Don Carlos Peace and Love Jus Time Records
16 - Csavi War Chant Joy Achinech Productions
17 4 Samory I Rasta Nuh Gangsta Rorystonelove / Black Dub
18 14 Jah9
Hardcore (Remix)
feat. Chronixx
VP Records
19 - Dreadzone Mountain Dubwiser Records
20 - David Lion Don‘t Let Love Die Sugar Cane Records
Damian Marley Dreadzone Protoje
Chronixx
Jah 9
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017
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Album Charts | top 10
Period Ending 31/05/2017
Contributing voters: 35
europe
# LM Artist Album Label
1 1 Nattali Rize Rebel Frequency Baco Records
↑ 2 5 Inna De Yard The Soul of Jamaica
Wagram Music /
Chapter Two Records
↑ 3 6 Hempress Sativa Unconquerebel Conquering Lion Records
↑ 4 7
Meta and the
Cornerstones
Hira
Metarize
5 - David Lion Mandala Sugar Cane Records
6 - Kingston All Stars Presenting Kingston All Stars Roots & Wire
7 3 Queen Ifrica Climb VP Records
8 2 Spiritual Awakening VP Records
9 - Busy Signal Fresh from Yaad
Turf Music Entertainment /
Digiwaxx Media
9 - Jah Sun Between the Lines Sugar Cane Records
↑= signifies upward movement # = this month’s position on the chart LM = last month’s position on the chart
Spiritual
David Lion
Nattali Rize
Queen Ifrica
Jah Sun
As a DJ or music director at a radio station you are
invited to vote for your favorite reggae & dancehall
singles and albums once a month!
➡ globalreggaecharts.com
➡
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

INTERVIEW
RADIO
CENTRAAL
BELGIUM
In every issue of our magazine, we talk to one of
our voters. This time we talked to Tim ‚Jah Rebel‘
Ianna and Kenneth ‚Don Wackie‘ Oyen from Back 2
Bass, a bi-weekly radio show at Belgian local radio
station Radio Centraal in Antwerp.
Global Reggae Charts: Can you please introduce
yourself and your radio show?
Kenneth ‚Don Wackie‘ Oyen: Back 2 Bass radio show
started back in 1987, founded by Don Wackie (Kenneth
Oyen) and Principal One (Ivo Lodewijckx). These days
the show is hosted by Don Wackie, Jah Rebel (Tim
Ianna), Crucial P (Peter Piessens) and Missing Link
(Kevin Welslau).
Tim ‚Jah Rebel‘ Ianna: I joined the show in 2006 after
the sudden demise of long time host Jan ‚Smokey
Joe‘ Geldolf.
GRC: You are doing this radio show and I know that
Tim is involved in Reggae.be as well. What is your
motivation to support Reggae the way you do?
KO: I‘ve been enjoying reggae music since the early
nineteen eighties and instead of just playing my
record collection in my living room at
home, doing radio gives me the
opportunity to spread and share the
music I love with a wide audience.
TI: It‘s a bit of a cliché, but reggae
is truly a way of life. I wake up and
go to bed with the music and, apart
from playing an instrument or producing
music myself, I‘m involved
in every aspect of the business from
hosting on Back 2 Bass to writing
reviews and concert/festival reports
and doing interviews for
www.reggae.be.
global reggae charts
featured voter
short FACTS
Station: Radio Centraal -106.7 FM
Location: Antwerp - Belgium
Show: Back 2 Bass
Hosts: Kenneth ‚Don Wackie‘ Oyen,
Tim ‚Jah Rebel‘ Ianna
On air: Sunday 14:00 - 15:00 CEST (UTC-2)
http://streaming.radiocentraal.org
https://www.mixcloud.com/back2bass
www.back2bass.be
KO: At one stage it was just a radio show aimed at
the local Antwerp massive, but since the rise of the
internet we‘re now able to reach audience around
the world.
TI: Even though I‘m the editor in chief of
www.reggae.be, the Belgian reggae portal website,
and love writing, radio allows the music to come
GRC: What do you feel are the
advantages of radio to promote
the music you love?
Kenneth ‚Don Wackie‘ Oyen & Tim ‚Jah Rebel‘ Ianna
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017
4

global reggae charts
featured voter
alive. It‘s a combination of sharing the music you
love and enjoying listening to it at the same time.
GRC: What spectrum of music do you play in your
show and which artists have you found most inspiring
lately?
KO: We try to play the latest releases from reggae artists
all over the globe, with all subgenres and styles
from old school roots and re-releases over ragga and
dancehall to new roots, dub and roots revival represented.
I take a pass on that, but artists that have pleasantly
surprised me recently are Hempress Sativa, Mark
Wonder and Longfingah. I‘m already looking forward
to check out both Chronixx‘ and Kabaka Pyramid‘s
debut albums.
KO: Some of the artists that sparked my interest
recently are roots revival artists like Protoje, Micah
Shemaiah, Jesse Royal and Kabaka Pyramid, and
Belgium‘s finest band: Asham Band.
GRC: Thank you for the interview!
TI: As a journalist and critic for www.reggae.be I
get sent most album and EP releases out there. I‘ve
always had a natural dislike for dancehall music, so
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

INNA
DE
YARD
Cedric Myton & Kiddus I
NEW ALBUM
The Soul Of Jamaica
Text: Thomas Euler | Photos: Baghir & Bernard Benant
What happens if you ask some legendary reggae
musicians and some talented youngsters to come
together in a Kingston yard and make some music?
“The Soul of Jamaica“. That’s the title of the newest
Inna De Yard album which is the result of gathering
an illustrious group of Jamaican artists in Kiddus I’s
(of Rockers fame!) yard. The list of involved artists
reads like an impressive lineup, particularly if you
have a taste in roots reggae from the early days.
“The Soul of Jamaica“ features contributions from
legendary singer Ken Boothe, the famous vocal trio
The Viceroys, or The Congos’ Cedric Myton. Lloyd
Parks - who’s primarily known as a bass player and
among others backed Dennis Brown, John Holt or
Justin Hinds - makes an appearance as a singer. As
does Winston “Bo-Pee” Bowen who played the guitar
for Gregory Isaacs and Horace Andy. Last but not
least there is Winston McAnuff.¹ The veteran roster
is complemented by some talented singers from
the young guard of roots artist: McAnuff’s son Kush,
Steve Newland, Derajah and Var.
They all came together for four days and recorded an
album which is full of acoustic goodness and a lot of
soul. What’s particularly special about the recording
is the fact that Kiddus I’s yard doesn’t resemble a
traditional studio. It’s truly a yard, located in the hills
surrounding Kingston. Thus, much of the recording
was actually done outside. Luckily, photo- and videographer
Bernard Benant accompanied the process.
The result is a brief documentary which you can
watch on YouTube. If you look at the pictures there,
the album’s organic, natural vibe won’t come as a
surprise. The release almost feels like the antidote
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017
6

global reggae charts
featured artist
to today’s fast-moving music business, which often
appears more concerned with popcultural relevance
than the actual music. That’s definitely not the case
here.
It’s not a stretch to say: Inna De Yard is a rare kind
of project. It contradicts pretty much all the usual
assumptions we have about how music is produced
in 2017. Naturally, one wonders how such a thing
can exist. Well, if you want to put it in simple terms:
It takes passion, dedication and - I suppose - a good
network around Jamaica. And that’s exactly what
Romain Germa and Nikolas Maslowski provided.
The two are the founders of the french label Chapter
Two that’s responsible for the creation and release of
“The Soul of Jamaica”.
The duo’s history in reggae goes several years
back. In the early 2000’s they founded the label
Makasound. This was also where the idea of Inna
De Yard - outdoor recordings with some of reggae’s
great singers - was initially perceived. Between 2007
and 2011 they released eight albums in the series.
Then, the label was shut down. “The Soul of Jamaica”
is the revitalization of the concept on their
follow-up label Chapter Two. The initial spark for it
was provided by the Philharmonie de Paris: when
the latter decided to dedicate an exhibition to Jamaica,
they approached Chapter Two and “The Soul of
Jamaica”. idea was born.
In the following month, Germa and Maslowski not
only managed to assemble the artists, they also
made sure that some of Jamaica’s finest instrumentalists
provided the acoustic backdrop for the voices.
The credits contain some notable names. The aforementioned
Bo-Pee plays the guitar on all tracks. The
man at the piano is Robbie Lyn who played, among
Kush McAnuff
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

Winston McAnuff
others, with Sly & Robbie and Peter Tosh. Ruel “Pot A
Rice” Ashburn from The Uprising Roots chips in the
Bassline.
When asked about the details of the recording
process, Gurvan Hervet from Chapter Two describes
it as follows:
“Some rehearsals have been done for selected
songs, before going to the house up on the hill to
record. Then in 4 days, singers would come and go to
perform and record depending on who was around
at the time. They recorded the selected songs as well
as other tunes from Kush McAnuff, Steve Newland,
Var, Lloyd Parks that were not planned. The only
schedule was to be here the day of recording but
some songs have been recorded at night, others in
the morning.”
It sure sounds like a project that brought together
the best of both worlds: Jamaican vibes and musical
excellence and some European planning (and marketing
infrastructure). The result is a remarkable album.
When veteran German reggae blogger Nils Kersten
reviewed it for houseofreggae.de, he declared (in the
opening sentence no less!):
“I commit myself: Inna De Yard’s ’The Soul of Jamaica’
is the best reggae album that will be released in
2017. Period.”
He wrote these words on March 5th. They are a
testament to an exceptional musical endeavour.
¹ There’s a nice Winston McAnuff twist here: The singer
recorded his first album in 1978. In Jamaica, he enjoyed
some success through the mid-eighties. However, it took
two decades for his work to reach a global audience: only
in 2002, McAnuff’s music was released internationally for
the first time. By, you guessed it, Makasound.
upcoming Festival Dates:
09.07.17 Terres De Sont - Monts (FR)
13.07.17 Le Mas Des Escarvatiers - Puget Sur Argent (FR)
14.07.17 Les Nuits De Fourviere - Lyon (FR)
15.07.17 Nuits Du Sud - Vence (FR)
20.07.17 Paleo - Nyon (CH)
21.07.17 Zik Zac - Aix En Provence (FR)
22.07.17 Mozaique - Le Havre (FR)
27.07.17 Summer Vibration Reggae Festival - Selestat (FR)
28.07.17 Womad - Malmesbury (UK)
29.07.17 Les Escales - St-Nazaire (FR)
30.07.17 Les Nuits Secretes - Aulnoyes Aimeries (FR)
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017 8

global
VoterS
global reggae charts
voters
Israel
Kol Hanegev 106.4 FM / Ba Ba Reggae
Australia
2BOB Radio / Roots‘n‘Reggae Show
898FM / Ital Galore
Belgium
Radio Centraal / Back 2 Bass
Bulgaria
Radio Bumerang / Host
Canada
CFRU-FM / The Crooked Beat
Radio Regent / ItaL rOOts RaDio
Costa Rica
Radio Urbano 105.9 FM / Di Docta Show
Denmark
Station Amager / Reggae Moods
France
La Grosse Radio Reggae / Programme Director
Radio Calade / Baba Boom Sunday Time
Radio Mille Pattes / Zion High Station
Sunalpes.com / Cassonade
Germany
Ablazin Radio / Host
Antenne Münster 95.4 / Cool & Deadly
ByteFM / Forward The Bass
querfunk / DREADheadz AJ
Radio Against Babylon / Music Director
Radio Leinehertz 106.5 / Wha Gwaan
Radio Regentrude / Music Director
Radio StHörfunk / Sluggish Radio Show
Radio Top40 / Host
Radio Z 95.8 / Rastashock
ReggaeSpace / Host
Visador-Radio / ReggaeRoundUp
Italy
Radio Popolare Network / Reggae Radio Station
Radio Popolare Verona / Exodus
Jamaica
News Talk 93 FM / The Entertainment Trail
Norway
Radio Nova / Oslo Reggae Show
Poland
Polskie Radio Czwórka / Strefa Dread
Radio Oko / Reggae Jazda
Switzerland
Jam On Radio / Music Director
Kanal K / Fish‘n‘Chips Sounds
Radio 3FACH / Groove Infection
United Kingdom
Marlow FM / Radio Daze Reggae Show
Radio St Austell Bay / Host
United States
Dj BME Musik Mix Show / Host
Hot101TNT / Host
Islandah Radio / Music Director
KPOV 88.9 FM / The Coop
KTHX-FM / Reggae Shack
Reggae King Radio / Reggae Rhapsody
WBZC 88.9 FM / Sounds of the Caribbean
WVEW-LPFM / One Drop Reggae Radio
WZBC Boston College Radio 90.3 FM /
Raggamuffin International
Venezuela
Radio Nacional de Venezuela / Desde El Ghetto
Greece
Radio Xanthi One / Music Director
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

global reggae charts
radio shows
on air
Germany
Antenne Münster
COOL & DEADLY
with Roots Operator Wolle
4. Saturday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
UK
Vibes FM
REGGAEMYLITIS
with Sarah C
Last Wednesday - 6:00 pm BST/UTC-1
Germany
Radio Regentrude
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
with Brigitte Reinert
Last Friday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
UK
Black Country Radio
RIDDIM SESSIONS
with Kevin Moore
Friday - 1:00 am BST/UTC-1
Italy
Radio Popolare Network
REGGAE RADIO STATION
with Vitowar
Last Sunday - 11:45 pm CEST/UTC-2
USA
Islandah Radio
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
with Duke Locario
Last Friday - 10:00 pm EDT/UTC+4
Spain
Inselradio Mallorca
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
Last Wednesday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
Venezuela
Radio Nacional de Venezuela
DESDE EL GHETTO
with George Dread
2. & 4. Saturday - 11:00 am VET/UTC+4
Link us if you’d like to become a media
partner and present the Global Reggae
Charts on your radio station!
Email: info@globalreggaecharts.com
global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017
10

media partners
Imprint
Publisher:
Boomrush Productions
Tondernstr. 14
26127 Oldenburg
Germany
Editor-in-Chief:
Felix Rühling
info@globalreggaecharts.com
Author:
Thomas Euler
whagwaan-magazine.de
Art Director:
Solvey Schönknecht
Front/Back Cover:
Photo by: Bernard Benant
Photos Inna De Yard:
Bernard Benant & Baghir
Advertising:
Felix Rühling
info@globalreggaecharts.com
© Boomrush Productions 2017
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in part or whole is strictly
prohibited without prior consent or
authorization from the publisher.
Website:
https://globalreggaecharts.com
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global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017

global reggae charts | issue 2 / june 2017