Reggae Geel: a review of the preview

Reggae Geel, Belgium (p)review

No less than 10 interviews with Jamaica’s finest current talent, latest artists and loyal ambassadors of the wide Reggae-genre conducted in less than 48 hours, marked a joyful return from Reggae Geel, Europe’s oldest Reggae festival -that was celebrated this August 4 and 5 in its 39th edition-.

Once Reggae Geel opened its gates to the festival grounds in the early evening of past Friday, the organisation conferred guest status also to the staff including volunteers from refugee and addicts-in-recovery programs, who helped building the festival during the two weeks preceding its start date. So, local, national and foreign visitors along with the ‘volunteers-turned-guests’ could have a stroll in unity enjoying the peaceful landscape whilst observing the results from their work such as are the 5 stages too.

The program featuring the line-ups for these 5 stages, namely the Main Stage, 18”, Skaville, Bounce and the Yard resembled a treasure chest. Whatever you picked from it, you picked a jewel. But you could only pick one at a time.

In the same style, inews24.co.uk is to deliver to you 10 hand-picked diamonds over a couple of weeks starting from the September autumn period. Album releases, tasters … from baddest Dancehall to Lovers rock; we got everything in stock.

Internationally-acclaimed stars such as Glen Washington or Maxi Priest talk to us after their performances on the Main Stage. So were the lead singer Kumar Brent and guitarist and supporting vocalist Delroy ‘Pele’ Hamilton from Raging Fyah, the band that once got together in class of the Edna Manley school on a mission to do “Music for the Rebels”. Today, this band not only tours Europe with UB40 but it tours with their “Everlasting” album that was released on VP Records and is nominated for the 2017 Grammy Best Reggae Album.

Out of that same Jamaican college of the visual and performing arts, the new up and coming Reggae four-piece band Earth Kry formed by Aldayne Haughton (vocals), Kieron Cunningham (drums), Kamardo Blake (base guitar) and Phillip McFarlane (keyboard), on our request, introduce themselves and guide us on where to start on their music:

Staying organised, best efforts were made not miss a highlight and just before Jah Cure was performing on the Main Stage, one could run and take a glimpse at more diamonds performing such as was Hempress Sativa on the Yard stage. It was the Empress’ first time performing in Europe. A decision had to be taken on the spot, ladies and gentlemen, stay for the show or go, listen to the voice of the UnconqueRebel Lioness or the King of Lovers rock?

Time called for real ladies talk with two UK-based women doing Reggae music, namely Dionne Reid -presenting her self-made mixtape called Soundcheck – and Sherii ven Dyer -who has just had her video of “Rise Up” released on Reggaeville-. Exciting times for Sherii and Dionne and ever more exciting as Jah9 in person -who was a ‘surprise guest at the festival’- came to hear their performance. Their Yard sets were separate ones and Dionne and Sherii feeling so much love and positive vibes “ended up coming on stage together doing a freestyle thing”, Sherii explains. “It is important to us to empower women, it is very rare to see women not to be in competition with each other, let’s celebrate each other”.

#YeahYeah yeah yeah yeah yeah … A mad ting happened. In our interview with Jamaican Dancehall artist Aidonia we find more about the man himself. The Aidonia experience at the Bounce stage is added to one of our favorites. It goes without saying that his latest monster hit YeahYeah is on inews24.co.uk summer 2017 playlist.

You can already watch the full Mad Ting interview on our youtube channel:

So, … ilo at the Dancehall, I tell you, everything is possible at Reggae Geel. But it would not be inews24.co.uk’ ilo if a bit of conscious reasoning wasn’t employed in between. Thus, you can all already really look forward to our Jesse Royal piece in October, sharp. Make it a date. You will be able to understand and witness that “we have to step hot and we have to step hard cause you see what gwaan in the yard and abroad, y’know?” as Jesse Royal says. Who, where, what, when, why included. October also marks the date that his album Lily of the Valley will be available, so we’ll also share what he said about this piece of work. Also we caught up with Iba Mahr on the video release of “Get Up & Show”.

Royal Blu, Runkus and BLVK H3RO joined for an interview too. For BLVK H3RO it is his first time touring in Europe and -Holland being the place he likes most- he sums up the concept of touring as  “a life experience, it’s life changing. Touring is life, it is like your touring yourself as well”. At the time of Runkus and Royal Blu‘s shows on the Main Stage in the afternoon of Saturday, there was a heavy rainfall. So, it was unique to see them joining BLVK H3RO and Jamie Rodigan on the Yard stage later that night. Another one that we mark as one of our favorites.

With further little escapes to the 18”, we allowed ourselves to re-live some Ladbroke Grove memories and with selector Mikey Dread and MC Ras Kayleb of the Channel One Sound System one touched on gold – as we already said, what a treasured program. Also we went to see Jah Shakespeare, the Belgian journalist and Reggae writer, giving a session on the history of Reggae music in Belgium at the Yard.

Admittedly, we couldn’t help it and did mainly stay glued to the Main Stage and its charismatic MC Asadenaki who knew how to get the crowd moving forward.

A definitive highlight of the festival was having Notis Heavyweight Rockaz on stage on Saturday morning. An experience in itself spending a night in a tent on the onsite campsite, their music live as your breakfast meal, well, nobody got to ask you anymore how you got refreshed and purely energised.

Later that day, we also saw Tessanne Chin, who finally -four years after winning The Voice in the U.S.- touched down in Europe and we could sit down to find out more about and directly from her.

Suddenly, Dancehall King Beenie Man -in his capacity of second ‘surprise guest’ of this years edition of Reggae Geel- turned up to the show of Ricky Trooper at the Bounce stage and the crowd went absolutely mad until 4 am in the morning.  When it closed, the Belgian mobile Bangarang sound station brought further sounds to the campsite till the morning hours of Sunday.

Can you believe there was no time for us to see Skaville? The locals did warn me prior to the festival, they said “you will not be able to see everything and you will need to miss out on some things. That happens to everyone at Reggae Geel, the line-up is just too good and too many things happening at once”.

Ilona “ilo” Kepic