Global Reggae Charts - Issue #3 / July 2017

issue # 3 | july 2017
#3
monthly magazine
featured voters
George Dread-
Venezuela
Joel Dittli-
Switzerland
featured artist
Kabaka
Pyramid
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

editorial
Welcome to the third edition of the Global Reggae Charts! Only three months in, and we already
learned a lot. For those of you who haven‘t been following from the start, a little reminder of the
goal that drove us - and Felix in particular! - to create the Global Reggae Charts: We want to create
a trustworthy destination that helps everybody who‘s interested in reggae music to find out what
truly matters right now. A guidepost in the diverse jungle that is reggae and dancehall in 2017, so
to speak.
Because we aim to create global charts that reflect everything that‘s relevant in reggae - including,
for instance, free Soundcloud releases - we took a votes-based approach. For reasons I explained
in the first issue‘s editorial, we initially decided to limit the group of eligible voters to hosts of regular
reggae radio shows. Starting with the upcoming voting period, we are going to broaden that
group.
From now on, we‘ll also accept votes from trusted reggae and dancehall media contributors. For
one, we want to increase voter turnout in order to make our charts ever more representative of the
global reggae community. Plus, it appeared somewhat arbitrary to exclude people based on the
medium they chose to publish in.
It goes without saying that there are potential pitfalls. As we are first and foremost committed to
creating a trustworthy representation of what‘s relevant in reggae, we want to protect our data
from manipulation. Everybody who spent some time in the reggae and dancehall scene knows this
is a potential issue. For now, we are going to ensure the Global Reggae Charts‘ integrity by being
selective about what applications we accept. Voters will need to have a track record of publications
on credible sites and/or in traditional media. Being that kind of gatekeeper is a thin line to walk and
we‘ll hopefully manage this balancing act well.
However, we don‘t intend to rely on this security measure for too long. The best protection against
fraud and corruption is scale. Once we have a sizable number of applications, we‘ll open up the
voting to every media member willing to participate. In blunt terms: You can pay five people to
vote for you but you can‘t pay a few hundred (and if you can, you almost certainly don‘t have to).
As always, keep in mind that we are still in the early stages and getting everything right will take
some time and experience.
That said, enjoy this month‘s edition of the charts! While we don‘t claim to paint a representative
picture yet, the results give us confidence. The single and album charts both contain many releases
you would expect there, but also some gems from across the globe. If we can continue that trend
while increasing our voter base, we are on track to develop the GRC into what they are supposed
to be.
If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement, please let us know!
Cheers
Thomas
Thomas Euler is founder of the German reggae & dancehall blogazine
whagwaan-magazine.de // feedback: info@globalreggaecharts.com
1
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

Album single Charts | top 20
Period
Ending 30/06/2017
Contributing voters: 43
europe
# LM 2M Artist Song Label
1 1 - Damian Marley Medication feat. Stephen Marley Universal Music
+ 2 - - Kabaka Pyramid Can‘t Breathe Ghetto Youths International
↑ 3 16 - Csavi War Chant Joy Achinech Productions
↑ 4 6 - Chronixx Skanking Sweet Chronixx Music Group
+ 5 - - Nattali Rize Rebel Frequency Baco Records
↑ 6 9 1 Talisman Relijan Sugar Shack Records
↑ 7 19 - Dreadzone Mountain Dubwiser Records
8 3 - Protoje Blood Money Mr Bongo
9 7 - Chronixx Likes Soul Circle Music
10 10 16 Hempress Sativa Fight For Your Rights Conquering Lion Records
11 4 - Morgan Heritage
We Are feat. Kabaka Pyramid &
Dre Island
Cool To Be Conscious
Music Group
12 8 - Hempress Sativa Rock It Ina Dance Conquering Lion Records
13 11 2 Havana meets Kingston
Carnival feat. Solis &
Randy Valentine
Baco Records
14 5 19 David Lion Peaceful Warrior feat. Anthony B Sugar Cane Records
15 12 - Dactah Chando AfroCanario Achinech Productions
16 14 - Chronixx Majesty Universal Music
17 15 14 Don Carlos Peace and Love Jus Time Records
18 18 14 Jah9 Hardcore (Remix) feat. Chronixx VP Records
+ 19 - - Julian Marley
Are You the One
(Reggae Is My Name)
Ghetto Youths International
+ 20 - - Million Stylez The Youths of Today King Horror / Chronic Ting
+ 20 - - Anthony B King In My Castle Reggae Callin‘ Records+
+ 20 - - Gondwana Si No Fuera Popart Discos
+ 20 - - Richie Stephens
Luv-A-Dub Style
feat. Bounty Killer
Pot of Gold
+ 20 - - Keznamdi Victory feat. Chronixx Keznamdi Music
Chronixx Kabaka Pyramid Keznamdi Csavi Gondwana
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017 2

Album Charts | top 10
Period
Ending 30/06/2017
Contributing voters: 34
europe
# LM 2M Artist Album Label
1 3 6 Hempress Sativa Unconquerebel Conquering Lion Records
+ 2 - - Morgan Heritage Avrakedabra
Cool To Be Conscious Music
Group
↑3 5 - David Lion Mandala Sugar Cane Records
+ 4 - - Talisman Don‘t Play With Fyah Sugar Shack Records
+ 5 - - Mark Wonder Dragon Slayer Irie Ites Records
↑6 8 2 Spiritual Awakening VP Records
7 2 5 Inna De Yard The Soul of Jamaica
Wagram Music / Chapter Two
Records
8 1 1 Nattali Rize Rebel Frequency Baco Records
9 7 3 Queen Ifrica Climb VP Records
+ 10 - - Keith & Tex Same Old Story Liquidator
Keith & Tex Hempress Sativa Talisman Morgan Heritage Mark Wonder
↑= signifies upward movement + = signifies new entry # = this month’s position on the chart
LM = last month’s position on the chart 2M = chart position two months ago
As a radio DJ and/or music director
vote once a month!
globalreggaecharts.com
3
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

global reggae charts
voters
global
VoterS
Australia
2BOB Radio / Roots‘n‘Reggae Show
897FM / Ital Galore
Belgium
Radio Centraal / Back 2 Bass
Bulgaria
Radio Bumerang / Host
Canada
CFRU-FM / The Crooked Beat
Radio Regent / ItaL rOOts RaDio
Colombia
UPTC Radio 104.1 FM / Legado Africano
Costa Rica
Radio Urbano 105.9FM / Di Docta Show
Czech Republic
Radio 1 / Reggae Klub
Denmark
Station Amager / Reggae Moods
France
Radio Mille Pattes / Zion High Station
Israel
Kol Hanegev 106.4 FM / Ba Ba Reggae
Italy
Radio Popolare Network / Reggae Radio Station
Radio Popolare Verona / Exodus
Radio Web-Base / Reggae Music
Mexico
Cabina420 RADIO / Music Director
Netherlands
Impact AM / Music Director
NPO FunX / Music Director
Norway
Radio Nova / Oslo Reggae Show
Poland
Polskie Radio Czwórka / Strefa Dread
Radio Oko / Reggae Jazda
Spain
Arco FM / La Concha Reggae Radio
UK
Black Country Radio / Riddim Sessions
Radio St Austell Bay / Host
Vibes FM / Reggaemylitis
Germany
Antenne Münster 95.4 / Cool & Deadly
ByteFM / Forward The Bass
querfunk / DREADheadz AJ
Radio Against Babylon / Music Director
Radio Regentrude / Music Director
Radio StHörfunk / Sluggish Radio Show
Radio Top40 / Host
Radio Z 95.8 / Rastashock
Visador-Radio / ReggaeRoundUp
Greece
Radio Xanthi One / Music Director
USA
Islandah Radio / Music Director
KDUR FM / Heart Beat of Zion
KPOV 88.9 FM / The Coop
KSMT/KPTE / Eggs over Irie
The TikiPod / Program Director
WBZC 88.9 FM / Sounds of the Caribbean
WORT 89.9 FM / Tropical Riddims
WZBC Boston College Radio 90.3FM /
Raggamuffin International
Venezuela
Radio Nacional de Venezuela / Desde El Ghetto
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017
4

NATIONAL
RADIO
VENEZUELA
global reggae charts
featured voter
INTERVIEW
For this issue of the magazine, we talked to two
voters who present very different kind of radio
shows. The first voter we talked to is George Dread,
who presents his show ”Desde ElGhetto“ on the
national radio network in Venezuela since 1999.
Global Reggae Charts: Can you please introduce
yourself and your radio show!
George Dread: I’m George Dread, a producer, broadcaster
and researcher, born and raised in Las Americas,
San Martin, Caracas, where back in 1985 reggae
was born in my country, Venezuela. I’m a History
graduate and a man of radio. Jamaican rhythms led
me to pay attention to the magic radio world in 1998,
and a year after getting to know the radio, “Desde
ElGhetto” (cultural reggae house) emerged with its
radio station “Perola”. This alternative radio from the
Caricuao state and the show are dedicated to the ska
and reggae sounds of my country.
The format of the show is like a magazine, where
we get into the history of Jamaican rhythms and the
genres that originated in Jamaica and are so alive
in the worldwide diaspora (Africa, Europe, Oceania,
Antilles, Caribbean, America). But it is not only a program
about the history of music. It plays an important
part in the different sections of the show, where
chronicles and important reviews show the evolution
of our rhythms, but we also have a close monitoring
of new talented artists worldwide as well as brand
new releases and so on.
We do interviews with national and international artists
alongside with live performances and sessions
with guest DJs together with the resident DJ: DunDumDread.
After 18 years of the radio show, “Desde
ElGhetto” is now also a production company involved
in album productions of “One Riddim” albums
with international artists and original instrumentals,
like the project “Rescatando la Raiz” and its four
volumes.
GRC: How does the current political situation in
Venezuela influence you and your show. Is there an
interference with the reggae scene?
GD: The current situation of my country hasn’t been
easy for anyone. Fights everyday, no tolerance, hate
between two visions and positions which only see
their differences - this atmosphere has affected the
normal life of the population. For the reggae people
of Venezuela this has meant not the same number of
live shows, neither in private, nor in public places,
but we the producers, artists and promoters are still
working in what we love to do. Personally its difficult
for me to regularly do my shows and my other
musical activities, like production, but we are moving
forward with word, sound and power. As we say
in South America: “he who sings, keeps the worst
away”.
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global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

global reggae charts
featured voter
short FACTS
Station: RNV Activa 103.9 FM
Location: Caracas - Venezuela
Show: Desde ElGhetto
Host: George Dread
On air: Saturday 11:00 to 13:00 VET (UTC-4)
https://mx.ivoox.com/es/podcast-podcast-des
de-elghetto-3d_sq_f179384_1.html
https://www.facebook.com/desde.elghetto
https://twitter.com/DesdeElGhetto?lang=es
GRC: How did you get into radio and what was your
motivation?
GD: I began in 1998: from childhood on I was fascinated
by the radio, I remember playing with old cassette
tapes and two recorders, not knowing that I was
producing. Once I’d sleeted a song, I brought guests
(family and friends) - all in good time - and so far, so
good for an 11 year old kid. Music has been in my
life since I was born, it’s the central theme running
through my life and is a way to communicate, in my
case through the radio which allows me to be involved
in all parts of the world of music (on-air presenting,
broadcasting, production, developing concepts
for programs, managing).
I’m actually a producer of the National Radio of
Venezuela, I’m doing “voice over” work, animation,
conferences, and have been working in radio for 19
years, 18 with “Desde el Ghetto”, and 2 years with my
new radio project “Raices y Cultura”, a space where
we deal with the history of afro music, especially
our Jamaican genres like Jazz, Soul, Salsa, HipHop,
Reggae, AfroBeat, Venezuelan music etc.
GD: In “Desde el Ghetto” we try to share all
Jamaican music genres through history: Mento, Ska,
Rocksteady, Early Reggae, Reggae, Roots, Heavy-
Roots, Lover, Digital, UK, Rub-A-Dub, Ragga, Dancehall
and more. We’re emphasizing the work of the
great producers in history and today, and our producers
have an eye on the music outside of Jamaica
in these genres too, for example the reggae that’s
been coming out of the island Saint Croix for some
years now and which has a unique sound, increasing
in quality and quantity. I’d also mention the Spanish
reggae scene with high quality productions that
bring together local and international artists and are
closer to the roots of Jamaican reggae, showing us
their re-interpretation of greatness. I’d also point out
the role of the recent “Reggae Revival” movement,
like Chronixx, Jesse Royal, Raging Fyah. They are
only a few of the artists of a new stage in Jamaican
rhythms, giving us the chance to revive the essence
of 70s and 80s reggae with the proposal of a new
world. Finally, I’d like to mention the role of women
in today’s reggae music, like Hempress Sativa,
Reemah and Jah9 among others.
Joel Dittli on stage
GRC: What spectrum of music do you play in your
show and which artists have you found most inspiring
lately?
4
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017
6

INTERVIEW
LOCAL
RADIO
SWITZERLAND
The second voter we talked to is Joel Dittli.
His show ”Groove Infection“ airs on a local youth
station in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Global Reggae Charts: Can you please introduce
yourself and your radio show!
Joel Dittli: I’m Joel Dittli. Two years ago I took over
the radio show called Groove Infection on Radio
3FACH from Selecta Iray, who hosted the show before.
We set the focus on Caribbean music - from the
60s to the future - but you will also hear some soul,
funk, African and Latin sounds now and then.
Radio 3FACH is an alternative and very young radio
station in Lucerne, Switzerland. Everyone who works
at this station is younger than 25 years. So I’ve just
got one more year left :D We try to keep it young and
fresh. We are not allowed to broadcast commercials,
but we have a vinyl record store, we run a bar at the
lakeside during summer and we organise concerts,
parties and a pretty big festival called Funk am See
every two years.
GRC: How did you get into radio and what was your
motivation?
JD: I regularly listened to the show when Selecta Iray
and my pre-predecessor played tunes, had live-interviews
and DJs who played their sets in the studio. I
really liked the vibe! And I‘ve always annoyed my friends
with reggae topics although they weren‘t into it,
so it was a great opportunity to take over the show.
GRC: You are a musician as well. Please give us a
little inside into what role reggae music plays in your
life.
JD: When I first heard Bob Marley I forced myself
to like his music cause I thought it was kind of cool.
After some time I started to genuinely love the sound
and I stopped listening to anything else but reggae.
With some friends I founded a roots reggae band
called Basement Roots. I already was addicted to this
music before but the band and the radio show made
global reggae charts
featured voter
short FACTS
Station: Radio 3FACH
Location: Lucerne - Switzerland
Show: Groove Infection
Host: Joel Dittli
On air: Sunday 14:00 - 15:00 CEST (UTC-2)
www.3FACH.ch
www.facebook.com/grooveinfection.3fach
me love offbeats even more.
GRC: Is there a correlation between the music you
play on the show and the music you make yourself?
JD: Yes there is. While my predecessor is well known
for selecting modern stuff from Jamaica and started
a real big Soca movement in Switzerland I also like to
play music from the 60s and 70s. But I try to keep it
diverse. It‘s nice to show the people that the Caribbean
has much more to offer than sunshine reggae!
GRC: Which artists have you found most inspiring
lately?
JD: I really like bands which fuse reggae with other
styles. It‘s not easy to do that. But there are some
great bands who mix styles skillfully like The Skints,
Dub Inc or the Pedestrians from Switzerland. And
I like artists who combine heavy reggae riddims
with flowing vocals like many artists of the „reggae
revival“ do. And of course I’m always happy to see
people doing authentic roots reggae and recording
it in full analog studios - Martin Zobel, Zvuloon Dub
System and the productions of Roberto Sanchez.
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global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

NEW ALBUM
The Soul Of Jamaica
Text: Thomas Euler | Photos: Baghir & Bernard Benant
Kabaka
Pyramid
CONTEMPORARY REGGAE ARTIST
This month’s highest new entry to the single charts
is Kabaka Pyramid’s Can’t Breath on #2. It is the first
single from his upcoming debut album Contraband.
You haven’t misread that sentence: Even though
Kabaka can certainly be regarded a household name
among reggae fans, he hasn’t released a proper
album yet. On first sight, this might appear strange.
But once you think about it, it not only makes sense,
it also tells the story of broader developments in
Jamaican and global music.
It’s currently fashionable in the music industry to
question if the concept of an album is still worthwhile
at all - after all, we are living in the streaming age!
Almost everybody agrees that contemporary music
is a track business. Why do an album if you can just
as well release a playlist a la Drake? And isn’t it better
anyway to release single tracks and get them onto
the streaming services’ featured playlists?!
Well, I don’t buy into that line of reasoning. While
the development of the “album” format is certainly
linked to the physical media on which music used to
be distributed - a bygone era, the vinyl resurrection
notwithstanding - the album has also developed into
an art form. At its best, an album isn’t just a random
collection of tracks but a thoughtful arrangement of
well-matched songs. A great album invites listeners
to come along on a musical journey. Regardless of
how the music gets to them, music fans are always
going to appreciate a coherent and captivating selection
of songs - aka an album - for its artistic value.
The fact that it took Kabaka - who appeared on the
reggae map in 2011 when he released his Rebel Music
EP - six years to release his first album, thus, is a
clear indicator that he has bigger artistic ambitions.
Measured in the output of tunes, Kabaka could have
released several albums already. Yet, he opted to label
his former releases either as an EP (Rebel Music,
Lead The Way) or a mixtape (Accurate). He isn’t the
only young Jamaican reggae artist who took this
route. Chronixx, too, just released his debut album
Chronology. Both artists are well into their career
and both decided to wait before dropping an album.
It’s a decision that makes commercial and artistic
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017
8

global reggae charts
featured artist
sense. Commercially it is sound because an established,
eager fan base drives sales (and streams!).
From an artistic point-of-view, the approach allows
an artist to develop his or her sound. While there
certainly is something to the rawness of an artist’s
early releases, the digital revolution has pushed the
first-release-point to ever earlier stages. A lot of the
music we find on Soundcloud these days would have
merely been a demo in earlier times. It’s great for
fans and artists that these early artifacts can be listened
to these days. Artists can start to develop a following
early on and fans can reconstruct entire careers
with more ease. However, not labeling the early
output an album comes at almost no cost. Arguably,
though, it increases the debut album’s quality.
Kabaka and Chronixx both choosing that path is interesting
for another reason. In the Jamaican music
tradition, the album doesn’t play as important a role
as in other musical traditions. Reggae and dancehall
were, from their very beginning, closely intertwined
with soundsystem culture. As such, Jamaican music
has always tended towards tunes (long before
the streaming era started; Jamaican music, always
pioneering). What matters on a dance are hits, not
long-form artistry. To be sure, there have always been
great albums made in Jamaica. But they were, arguably,
not the most important means to build your
profile at home (abroad, albums always mattered).
But times change. We live in a globally connected
world. Artists like Chronixx and Kabaka represent a
young Jamaican generation that grew up in the internet-world.
As such, both are very familiar with international
developments in music, in terms of sound
and business. The album is the essential artifact in
most genres. Therefore, it seems only logical that
reggae’s current generation is highly appreciative
of the format. If the two albums fulfill expectations,
it wouldn’t surprise me the least to see more artists
follow suit.
This broad-ranging influence of worldwide music is
also present in Kabaka’s sound. He sure is affluent
in reggae and dancehall, just listen to Can’t Breathe
(or dig a bit deeper into Kabaka’s catalogue, and find
songs like Well Done, Lead The Way or the Protoje
combination Warrior). At the same time, Kabaka
always drew inspiration from a broader range of
sounds. In his works, you’ll find hip-hop influences
(including full-on rap tracks like King Kabaka), bass
music elements (e.g. Liberal Opposer) and even a
feature with the Colombian indie-pop singer Kali
Uchis.
Thus, I think it’s fair to regard Kabaka as the poster
child of a broader trend among Jamaican artists. The
current generation shows the willingness to experiment
beyond narrow genre borders and possesses
the talent to turn this versatility into quality music.
While purists might disapprove, I prefer another
perspective: Change and experimentation are indicative
of a music scene’s vitality. Rap 2017 sounds
very different than rap from the 90s. Still, its current
protagonists carry the torch, reference the genre’s
forebears and keep the heritage alive. The same goes
for reggae. And this is great news. Kabaka Pyramid
and his peers are proving that Jamaican music is
well and as vibrant as ever.
Kabaka Pyramid’s debut album Contraband is set to
be released in October 2017.
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global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

global reggae charts
radio shows
ON
Air
Canada
Radio Regent
ItaL rOOts RaDio
with Sweet T & MAdCast-Fui
Tuesday - 3:00 pm EDT/UTC+4
Germany
Antenne Münster
COOL & DEADLY
with Roots Operator Wolle
4. Saturday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
Germany
Radio Regentrude
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
with Brigitte Reinert
Last Friday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
Italy
Radio Popolare Network
REGGAE RADIO STATION
with Vitowar
Last Sunday - 11:45 pm CEST/UTC-2
Spain
Inselradio Mallorca
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
Last Wednesday - 8:00 pm CEST/UTC-2
UK
Black Country Radio
RIDDIM SESSIONS
with Kevin Moore
Friday - 1:00 am BST/UTC-1
UK
Radio St. Austell Bay 105.6 FM
A-Z of Reggae
with Mark Norman
Last Sunday - 4:00 pm BST/UTC-1
UK
Vibes FM
REGGAEMYLITIS
with Sarah C
Last Wednesday - 6:00 pm BST/UTC-1
USA
Islandah Radio
GLOBAL REGGAE CHARTS
with Duke Locario
Last Friday - 10:00 pm EDT/UTC+4
Venezuela
Radio Nacional de Venezuela
DESDE EL GHETTO
with George Dread
Link us if you’d like to become a media
partner and present the Global Reggae
Charts on your radio station!
info@globalreggaecharts.com
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 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: Fernando Hevia
Advertising:
Felix Rühling
info@globalreggaecharts.com
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Reproduction in part or whole is strictly
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11
global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017

global reggae charts | issue 3 / july 2017