The official return of our ONENESS sessions was with none other than the legendary dancehall singer and dj Cocoa Tea.  Real live dancehall style, he nices up the crowd with a medley that was truly one of a kind... 

Glen's latest album is truly a 'Masterpiece'.  Just nominated for the 2012 Reggae Grammy Award, this one hits us as an exceptional album, with the songs all working together with the same feeling and messages.

Very refreshing when most 'albums' are just collections of singles, the production on this one is consistent with the same real instruments, players, and production throughout giving it a very cohesive vibe.

A great collection of the Rasta songs of praise, songs to give inspiration, and sweet lovers tunes to set the mood when you are with your special someone.

The first song to be released 'Fall On Me' - was featured on the ZIon High productions compilation Jah Golden Throne. Rodigan was playing this tune tough when it first dropped.  A laid back roots sound, it reminded us of the messages and vibes the music had 15 years ago when we started Solomonic, instantly earning a place in the box and has been warming up dances ever since.

The first time I got this album it took me almost 4 hours to listen to it, because I kept pulling up the songs through the whole thing!   Very hard to pick my favorites, but I would say 'There is a Joy', 'Take Away The Whip', 'When We Pray', 'My Vision', and 'One Way' are the ones I keep going to.

Buy MASTERPIECE on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/masterpiece/id542475477 

"Solomonic Sound is one of Philly's best exports in reggae sound system culture - these cats know their dubplates."

Fritz Hahn - Washington Post / September 11th, 2012

On the occasion of the 120th Earthday celebration of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King Of Kings, Lord Of Lords, Conquering Lion of Judah, and the 50th Anniversary of Jamaica Independance - Papa Fz presents a 120 minute - 50 track selection of current roots + culture reggae singles and album tracks that are promoting the original vibes and real message.

Please support these artists and buy these tunes, almost all of them are available for sale on digital and the few that aren't you can buy on vinyl! REGGAE MUSIC LIVES!

Blessed Love - Solomonic Sound System

1) Don't Be Afraid - Daweh Congo - Single - Jonahgold / Jah Youth Productions - 2011

2) Burn Down Sodom - I Wayne - Life Teachings - VP - 2011

3) Reggae Music Lives - Gramps Morgan - Reggae Music Lives - Dadason Entertainment - 2012

4) Youths A Live Up - Richie Spice - Heavenless Riddim - fat eyes - 2012

5) Bad Weather - Richie Spice - Long Days Short Nights Riddim - Xterminator - 2011

6) Singing The Blues - Jesse Royal - Long Days Short Nights Riddim - Xterminator - 2011

7) Burn Dem Schism - Sizzla - Long Days Short Nights Riddim - Xterminator - 2011

8) Fight It - Tony Curtis - Fight It - EP - Gregory Zigo Mavridorakis - 2011

9) Back To Our Roots - Luciano - Go Getta Riddim - Grillaras Productions - 2011

10) Selecta - Rayvon - Kingston 13 Riddim - Ranch Entertainment - 2012

11) Reggae Morning  - Gyptian - Kingston 13 Riddim - Ranch Entertainment - 2012

12) Live Your Life (Raw) - Yung Juggz - Kingston 13 Riddim - Ranch Entertainment - 2012

13) Low The Guns  - J Boog - Kingston 13 Riddim - Ranch Entertainment - 2012

14) JAH JAH NEVER LET I DOWN   - Pressure - Try A Little Smile Riddim - fat eyes - 2011

15) Skanking and Rocking (ft Protoje) - Da Professor - The Laboratory - Don Corleon - 2012

16) HOTTEST HOTHEAD - BUSY SIGNAL - Throw Me Corn Riddim - HOT COFFEE MUSIC - 2012

17) MADDEST TING - Gappy Ranks - Throw Me Corn Riddim - HOT COFFEE MUSIC - 2012

18) Hustler Story - DOLAMITE - Conversation Riddim - Peckings - 2011

19) My Heart Cries - Ky-Mani Marley - Every Tongue Shall Tell Riddim - Penthouse - 2012

20) Reggae Music Again - Busy Signal - Reggae Music Again - Juke Boxx Productions - 2012

21) Reggae to the Bone (ft. Lymie Murray) - Singing Melody - They Call Me Mr. Melody - Mixing Lab - 2012

22) Dancehall Stylee - Mark Wonder & Al Pancho - Redeemer Riddim Selection - Oneness Records - 2011

23) Giving Praises - Fantan Mojah - Redeemer Riddim Selection - Oneness Records - 2011

24) Bag a Herbs - Lutan Fyah - Redeemer Riddim Selection - Oneness Records - 2011

25) Sour Diesel - Delly Ranx - Long Life RIddim - Bread Back Productions - 2012

26) Babylon is On The Prowl - Nesbeth - Long Life RIddim - Bread Back Productions - 2012

27) Mama Make Me Deh So - Sizzla - Long Life RIddim - Bread Back Productions - 2012

28) Groundation Feeling - Ras Myrhdak - Groundation Day Riddim - HUMBLE CAMP PRODUCTIONS - 2011

29) Old Vibes  - Fyakin - Bomboflow Riddim - Upsetta Records - Flow Productions - 2011

30) Could A Run Away (ft Delly Ranx) - Gappy Ranks - Could A Run Away (Single) - PURE MUSIC - 2011

31) Roots Of All Evil - Million Stylez - Bellyfull Riddim - Furybass - 2011

32) Babylon System - Yami Bolo - Bellyfull Riddim - Furybass - 2011

33) Start a Fyah - Chronixx - Game Theory Riddim - Funky Dividends - 2012

34) Games They Play - Ras Indio and Jahmali - Game Theory Riddim - Funky Dividends - 2012

35) Pon Di Wings - Kabaka Pyramid ft. Italo Skarcha  - Game Theory Riddim - Funky Dividends - 2012

36) Our Time Come (ft Don Corleon) - Protoje - Our Time Come - Don Corleon - 2011

37) THE RETURN - Morgan Heritage - The Return - JUKE BOXX PRODUCTIONS - 2012

38) Rub A Dub Market - Luciano - Rub-A-Dub Market - Irie Vibrations - 2011

39) Mama Sey - Romain Virgo - ROCK & COME EEN RIDDIM - DALTON LEITH - 2012

40) STOP SHOW OFF - Busy Signal - ROCK & COME EEN RIDDIM - DALTON LEITH - 2012

41) LEAVE MI HERBS - Exco Levi - ROCK & COME EEN RIDDIM - DALTON LEITH - 2012

42) ONLY A FOOL - Richie Stephens - ROCK & COME EEN RIDDIM - DALTON LEITH - 2012

43) WORD, SOUND & POWER - Torch - ROCK & COME EEN RIDDIM - DALTON LEITH - 2012

44) RASTA GOT SOUL - Fantan Mojah - THINK TWICE RIDDIM - WARRIORS MUSIC - 2011

45) RASTAFARI LEADS THE WAY - Lutan Fyah - THINK TWICE RIDDIM - WARRIORS MUSIC - 2011

46) I CAN WE CAN - Luciano - THINK TWICE RIDDIM - WARRIORS MUSIC - 2011

47) OH LORD - Sir Ford - THINK TWICE RIDDIM - WARRIORS MUSIC - 2011

48) THINK TWICE - Duane Stephenson - THINK TWICE RIDDIM - WARRIORS MUSIC - 2011

49) You Save Me - junior x & alborosie - Slavery Days Riddim - REVOLUTIONARY RECORDS - 2012

50) You Save Me Riddim [instrumental] - version - Slavery Days Riddim - REVOLUTIONARY RECORDS - 2012

This young artist has been in our sights for a while now.  He has had a few big tunes such as Start A Fyah, Beat & A Mic, and Capitalists.  This one however seals the deal.  He is a cultural force to be reckoned with.  It is also refreshing to see a new generation of artists putting in the work, and promoting conscious lyrics that encourage the youths to live a clean and righteous life.  Keep up the hard work Chronixx!

Remember, if you want the artists to keep making good good culture music like this, you must send them some love and support the thing!  Buy it on iTunes here.

Director, Photo & Edit: Jonas Andréen - Lynx Pictures. Music prod: Lance-A-Lot Productions

Beautiful new tune from the Empress. Hailing up His Majesty properly. Big respect to Rory for his productions with Jah9, we look forward to hearing the album drop soon!

For now, buy the single on iTunes here.    Also visit her site - http://Jah9.net

Brand new riddim promo outta the Xterminator family's new XTM.Nation project...  This has been nicing up the Solomonic workday vibes all week.  Good good reggae music.

Produced by Kareem 'Remus' Burrell.

Really excited about this one.  When Mikey dropped this tune on Xterminator in 1997, it was a huge influence in the Solomonic Sound System trod to Rastafari.  Even us 'foreign' raggamuffin youth who had been called by the teachings of His Majesty, decided to grow locks, and be self reliant instead of bowing to Babylon - could easily identify with this tune.  

Check the video and read the official press release below.  Support the artists and buy the tune on iTunes!

Historically, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica have not shared the unity that Caribbean people should aspire to. In fact, both countries have engaged in petty rivalries which have served to do little more than divide their people further. The recent musical collaboration between two of the countries' reggae singers, Mikey General (Michael Taylor) of Jamaica and Khali (Khalfani Taylor) of Trinidad, however, serves as an example of the love and unity between the two Caribbean nations.

Brought together by their shared Rastafarian faith, both Taylor Bwoys have united their vocals on a revived version of the Rastafarian anthem, 1997 Exterminator hit, Ms. Taylor Bwoy. Given their shared surname and their shared experience in finding Rastafari, the track was an obvious choice for the collaboration.

Produced by Good Vibes Entertainment, a newly founded production house which is also the result of the collaboration between both Taylor Bwoys, the song is a true representation of the greatness that is known as Jamaica's reggae music history. Recorded and mixed by Anthony 'Al' Graham at the island's famous Cell Block Studio, the single boasts of an all star musical cast, Kirk 'Kirkledove' Bennett on the drums, Donald 'Bassy" Dennis on the bass and guitar and Paul 'Wrong Move' Crossdaleon the keyboard. Mastering work was done at the one and only Tuff Gong Studio by Mastering Engineer Gary Sutherland. Vocally the track is led by the Taylor Bwoys, but top vocal performer Paul 'Lymie' Murray also lends his talent to the single in a most melodic and harmonic manner. A video for the song is currently in production.

When asked about the purpose of the collaboration, both Taylor Bwoys agree that it was within the fulfilment of their divine purpose. "Give thanks to Jah for these moments that I will cherish for eternity." Those were the words of Khali Taylor when asked how he felt about the project, whilst his Jamaican counterpart, Mikey, can be quoted as saying, "I am very pleased with the quality of work, and Give thanks to Jah for sending the brother my way".

So it seems that similarly to the smash hit original version which was released in 1997, the remake promises to follow the same path, the path of success. Already a hit within the Rastafarian Nation on the island, it seems only a matter of time till the song spreads to the streets, the dancehalls and the rest of the Caribbean on a massive scale. The Taylors are hoping that the project will serve as an example of the Love of Rastafari and the Strength of Unity. An example that they hope their respective nations will take heed of and observe, but just as it is in every other story, we will have to wait for time to tell it.

Check out the video and the making of below.

Paying respects to the original dub pioneers and foundations of reggae music, Jahson has built a mix of modern day dub reggae, digital dub, uk steppers, and dubstep. With the Bass Culture party in Vermont, he introduced this blend of sounds to the massive for over 2 years... However during that time, the genre known as DubStep also morphed into a commercial soulless bastard stepchild commonly known as BroStep. Fed up, he decided to do something about it and laid out the plans for a musical assasination.

When the mix was done, the idea came up to do a twist on the cover art from the rare classic dub album 'Scientist Rids the World of the Curse of the Evil Vampires'. (Currently the out of print CD is more than $100 on Amazon, and the original LP sells for even more. Buy a digital download of it at Discogs.com)

Check out the tracklist below.  Once the Mixcloud recieves 500 streams, it will become available as a download on our SolomonicSound.com/Mixes page.

Jahson Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Brostep Vampires & Womp Zombies 

‎1. Dave Webber - Time Vandal

2. Dub Terminator Feat. Ras Stone - Bad Mind (J Star Mix)

3. Dubkasam - Strictly Ital

4. Dubkasam - Ital Dub

5. Gorgon Sound - Find Jah Way (Dubkasam Mix)

6. Vibration Lab - Tribulation (Adam Prescott Mix)

7. No More Babylon Feat. Kenny Knots - Bring Jah Love

8. Johnny Osbourne, VIVEK - Fally Ranking (VIVEK's Southall Dub Mix)

9. Radikal Guru - Dread Commandments (Killawatt Remix)

10. Joe Ariwa & The Trixsters - Dubbing in the Dark

11. Michael Prophet, Joe Ariwa & the Trixsters - Jah Is My Light

12. Lukeino, J Starr, Kush Arora, & Dubsworth - Dub Arrest

13. Dubology - Babylon Dub

14. Adam Prescott - Revival

15. Die & Break Feat. MC Fats - Peace & Dub

Another big one for lovers of authentic reggae music!  Morgan Heritage has teamed up with Shane Brown's Jukeboxx for a ruff & tuff declaration of the takeover of the scene from the slackness vampires, and return to the original roots & culture messages that the people need to guide them in the right direction.

We fully endorse this one, it is refreshing to have another nice roots and culture album to run start to finish.

Busy and Shane Brown have created a timeless collection of top quality produced tunes - that both capture the original roots feel of classic reggae music, as well as updating it with a flow that only Busy Signal can provide.  Reality music, herbs, and lovers tunes pepper the selection, with standout tunes being.. well really, all of them! 

While he is not a Rastafari artist, the album is arguably one of the best 'conscious' reggae albums in the last few years, ranking up there with Stephen Marley's 'Revelation', Sizzla's 'The Scriptures', and I Wayne's 'Life Teachings'.

This album has been in rotation start to finish for the last week, and as soon as the CD drops we will be first in line to grab a copy.  * The digital release date has been moved up to April 10th!

Highly Recommended

Worship # 35 is now available in all your favorite on-line stores. It has been getting love from Mark Bell, Sasha, Someone Else, Ramon Tapia, Remote Area, Dj Vibe, Justin Sloe, Alex Kid, Andrew Grant, Martin Landsky, Slam, Silicone Soul, Niv Hadas & Danny Tenaglia!

What is this track exactly?!? Being DJ's at heart, it’s in our very nature to find a label or genre to tag our tracks with. This time around however, even wearing our producer hats, we're not too sure how to classify this one! "Enlighten Me" is all at once dubby, techy, minimal and indisputably “song based” house music, as well as being the first ever track we've heard with a dancehall "mix" stylie. All of that is purely conversational however. In the end what matters is how it moves the dance-floor, connects with the people, and adds to distinguishing our productions and performances from being more than just a series of thumping kick drums all night long. We’re confident you'll appreciate the groove and how it stands apart- it’s one of those tracks that comes in with grit and mixes out with grace. Try it!

Rootz Underground is a six-member reggae outfit from Jamaica that has been making waves on the global scene since 2008. "Enlighten Me" is originally a song of social commentary from their local perspective, found on their second studio album entitled ‘Gravity’. It marks the first of many tracks pending to step over into the underground dance world. No other re-mixer or producer would suit such a positive step forward than Rob Paine. Rob has been not only integral in the development of the band, but also blessed with the skills and accolades to please both the reggae and the dance music worlds, which he has done from day one of his career. This is the second jointly produced release Rob has done with Charles Lazarus, who is also the lead guitarist of the band. Rob once again shows that Charles certainly can take us by surprise and in a direction slightly different than one the band normally takes with its roots reggae based sound.

Whether you instantly jam to it or you're not too sure what to do with it, the duo know you'll find “Enlighten Me” intriguing. There are many more releases coming that will combine the wide musical backgrounds of Rob Paine & Charles Lazarus, always centered on keeping it moving with big basslines and relevant content, and of course without a doubt the tight pumpum production you’ve come to expect from the pair. You may not be able to anticipate which direction the project will find naturally, but rest assured they are always thinking of your dancing feet.

We are proud Rob being included as a remixer of this huge tune from Capleton which was featured on Miguel Migs latest album, alongside legendary Mad Professor, Rob Garza (of Thievery Corporation). The remixes were being released as an EP on January 24th, 2012 on OM Records.

Buy on iTunes

We recently discovered another brand new artist that has the right vibes to carry the culture banner forward.

Kabaka Pyramid's debut EP (Download for free on bandcamp) features 10 tracks of tuff roots sound with a bit of jazzy and hip hop spice to it.  Not so much that it sounds like the watered down international pop sound that permeates most Jamaican production nowadays, but a fresh take on updating the classic roots sound.  

Much of the production is sample based, so I feel like I am hearing the roots of hip hop again - with a new generation sampling the previous classics and blending them into a brand new someting.  

Message wise, we are treated to a selection of positive cultural brain food, and lyrically this youth will have your head spinning as you take it all in.

I almost feel like I am listening to Black Star's first album, but from the perspective of a concious roots reggae Rastafari artist in Jamaica.

Favorite tracks are "The Sound", "Prophecy", and the tune for the empress's "I Alone" - which if given a chance on commercial urban radio would be a instant crossover hit.

The project is produced by Bebble Rock, with promotional support from Indiggnation - Protoje's band and marketing team...

We are definitely looking forward to hearing more from this soldier!

Selector Rob Paine has just dropped the first big Solomonic Sound mix cd for the summer.  A choice selection of the current batch of roots reggae coming out of Jamaica in the last year, it leads off and runs through the excellent "Jah Army" Riddim produced by Stephen Marley.

Show details to be posted soon!

Check the MIXES page to listen and download!