Hi..welcome once again one and all to the pages of the Vibes. First topic today is about what passes off today as freedom and democracy and the supposed meaning of these words. Most reggae people know the song true democracy by Steele Pulse and that the lyrics and general vibes are positive...but are we really living in a truly democratic society? Well, it is democratiker than some others and in some aspects but still there's a lot of room for forward movements. Instead what we see is the steady decline and erosion of basic and fundamental take it for granted right to be o.k.. No more in this world, as far as I an I can see. The freedoms that prevail and are encouraged and advertised are those to exploit and challenge the simplest natural truth. That's why war is so prevalent and accepted by most of the world's populace today. No chance to even oppose because it will go on anyway .Elected representatives are supposed to cater to the needs of their communities but there are always the small but powerful"clicks" who get things done only for their benefit.It is the democratic right of the taxpayer to get drunk and do whatever he wants so long he does not disturb the public peace and neighbour...good, so a couple bottles and everything o.k. People who refuse to drink and want to enjoy some other thing with their hard earned money after paying tax are still being told in this 21st century what to and what not to consume. Funny kind of democracy!!! So it must be clear that the world is not so democratic as some clamour out to be. Yes some places better in respect to the aspect of controlling what we the people on the side can be subjected to, by the powers that B. So as the group sang, we must rally round the ites gold and green...that's the only place that I believe that democracy can ever be true.The system operators just twist the main idea and make things work on their behalf..always.

Tcha T

21st CENTURY RASTA

Yes....a lot has changed since the 70s when the roots movement was out and flourishing and everybody was getting conscious of the need to go back to the true and simple forms of expression in most aspects of life. Today it is quite the opposite.Man has to learn to survive the rat race that still going on without a clear winner in sight. Everything keeps on speeding up to the point when we cannot even imagine how fast or how enhanced will be the next generation of performance gadgets. Art and music had to move along the super fast speedway and hits are turned and tossed at lightning speed. "Stars" are made, sold and marketed before you can say "bingo!"...and the next announcement is the "exit" from the business....for the time being. I an I have had to cope with all the "fakenology" that we are subjected to as the dwellers on this planet. Most of everything for mass consumption has to be staged and managed and there is little room today for anything not following the general official version of things, which at the very best does not match up with the intelligence that we as humans are supposed to exhibit at this stage in our evolution.With the world heading towards seeming chaos and mistrust between states and peoples, I n I in this 21st so called century have to get back to the ways of the "old" but by utilizing the tools and methods that time has brought along with.Lots of people used to think that Rastas are those who were not well schooled or were against high-tech tricknology or just wanted to live in the nature. Maybe the best is the nearest combination of most of the elements. It is good to be living in Zion and still be in touch wit ht the world and not just cut oneself out.Rasta in these times have to travel the face of the world and still be at home in a little shack somewhere checking the vineyard and without having to worry too much about looking at the watch. In all areas of life today we see Rasses.............professionals who work with a definite sense of purpose day and night for the betterment of fellow humans. However, in spite of all the slackness and outrageous videos that splash the screens nowadays, most people are longing for the for the good old days when the pace was bearable and the constant and instantaneous movement of knowledge, money or other designated valuables remained like a comic book story. In regards to one's self, there is still a slight hope that our bodies will be sustained by natural food in the not too distant future. The relentless slaughter of earth's flora/fauna....inna factory style,adds to the problem.To add insult to injury, "industry" now wants to modify what grows naturally so that in the end, if we are really what we eat, man will be nothing else but a living robot,digitalised to the max and programmed to operate in a certain way. Only those who resist and insist on sticking close to what remains of our perception of mother nature's food will be able to see it through to the end. That is the role of the Rastaman in the 21st century. No matter what the crisis is....we sticking close to mother earth.

Ras Zékall

IMPRESSUM

Editor and Publisher

Ras Perez

Contributors:

Touloulou, Kabwitt, Tcha T

Ras Zékal, Ari Ree

ROOTICAL VIBES is a timely paper, checking on reggae and related scenes in and around Berlin.

For comments & feedback:

info@rasperez.de

Hotline: 0163 442 4551

DREADITORIAL

Hello again and here's hoping that you are already aware of some of the contents and intents of RV. It has been a quick year and the next one is already around the corner as soon as this one is on its way out. Lots of happenings in and around the scene and some of the news is sad...depending on your outlook on life. Long time reggae music lover and co-founder of RAW (Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide) passed on to Zion this year while on a visit to Scotland. Pligrim was always at the forefront trying his best to push the music. My personal knowledge of him takes me back to the days when Salt Lake City could boast of a premier reggae outfit which gave birth to the idea of RAW...today's international contact area for those who want to "forward the reggae vibe everytime". In a subsequent issue, Pilgrim's contribution to the furtherance of reggae will be examined. Not a very good year for top name concerts. Local well knowns "Seed" filled up one of Berlin's bigger venues for two nights inna row!!! Good promo and thick fan turnout. Noticeably absent was the usual ites gold and green bodywear. The summer festivals passed and the crowds were there but nothing really special worth mentioning.DUB SYNDICATE passed through again but this time in a smaller venue (Kato) and with almost no publicity for a monday night show. Still, the faithful seekers turned up and after a couple songs, the place was alive with the mystic vibes associated with dub.

WHY THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS SUFFERING

Yo!!! Here we are not about to take sides and make things turn out to be like a match between them vs us...Just to say things like they are perceived from any possible viewpoint. Anyway, we hear the same story day after day and year after year. The music biz is not like the good ole days and that the few big companies who are up there now control and demand what comes out to the masses' ears. You can have all the talent in the world and the music can be as innovative (whatever that means)as can be...if the top dogs decide that it ain't gonna sell, FAST, then is down the drain and try again next incarnation. So with such a trend, it was just logical that those who could not guarantee instant millions sales just banded together and decide to go it alone among the sharks, and the Indie(pendent) movement began.....a real headache for the toppers because now, almost anybody can burn, sell on net and be satisfied with a small but loyal following.What do you need the toppers for then? From the time that how much it could sell became more important that what it really said, our ears and eyes have been bombarded with the lewdest of scenes injected to shock and lull the beholder.. with the aim of confronting modern man's "absence of shame"....is that what innovation and creativity seem to be about??!?? Most, but not all we are privy to hear or see just seem to lack the basic concept of upliftment through artform, and we are slowly and surely led little by little down the abyss of low vibrational content in the styles that are dished out daily. But, sex sells, they say, and lots of the tops always have a good amount splashed all over, or that's just basically what it's all about. Consumers get tired, and after a while, just like any good stud must take a rest. Since the last week was better than this one, the business side of the vibes start looking shaky.What to do? Nothing can be done!!! Business is business and music is music. In the music business, there can be no music without business, but music itself is not a business....never was and never will be. All the buying and selling that takes place around music has one aim, and that is to make people feel good when they experience upliftment. Music has the capacity to raise the consciousness to a higher level where one can progress...we all need to go a little forward. To use such a magnificent god given "talent" just to burst out regardless of anything,is the same as aiding a helpless killer who would have disposed of you were it not for his current condition.

Touloulou

THE ooMOSTooNATURALoo MEDICINE

So.....I an I ain't no doctor but that doh mean that the knowledge of how to heal oneself and hence another, is not limited to taking endless years of study and learning. One of the most natural things about nature is the fact that it is a natural thing and so, no special set of men can claim to have more of nature than others. It cannot be "natural" to be sick. Life must be a living and exciting experience although sometimes we forget and all kinds of "sicknesses" make their appearance. Most of the time, the problem seems to stem from the fact that for a good couple centuries now, the true nature of man has never really been fully understood much less to be able to be catalogued and taught to others. Most of the time we claim to be sick, it is always because of some physical unease or pain. OUR BODIES ARE WHAT WE CONNECT WITH. Drugs will then help to ease or please us to another reality. Anyway we have to be first sick in order to want to be better. That's why the most natural medicine comes from heightened awareness, and is no product available to swallow and continue until the next painful jabs hit again. As music can only be felt and heard but not seen, it makes direct contact with our higher selves and many a "miracle"comes about as the result of such direct action. That's why it is important that something with such great healing potential should be used for the upliftment of things because it also contains the element towards the path of destruction. Military music is a good example. A good dub when heard for the first time after a good toke is surely one of the naturalest things that one can check as the best example of natural medicine. Lots of controversy in the madical community about the goods and bads of sensi, but they all seem to agree that the booze is far more dangerous, although "legal and accepted". As a youth, I was taught that prevention is better than cure, so the ultimate "madicine" must be in the preventing of that negative condition known as sickness to manifest. Clean living must be preceded by clean thinking, and no matter how much drugs we take, our bodies will always reflect the vibes of our inner self. Give thanks..

Ari Ree

TIPS AN' QUIPS

"Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

If "con" is the opposite of "pro", what is the opposite of "progress"?

"Bring back the milk and honey,cane juice and bush medicine..."

NEXTISSUE

Dee Jays and Bands..the unknown link.

Afro-Reggae Artists in Berlin.

Top Spots for local sounds and artists.

A manager's dream Band

The popular re-emergence of "live" studio recording.

A profile of RV's contributors

Jokes section

is there an outer connection?

A musician once said, " it's the spaces that count!!" Double or treble meaning?Since it is always usually the engineer who makes the Dubs, it would be interesting to know something of their backgrounds and what led to the realisation of this ultimate reggae expression form. By now the top names are well known, and two among the multitude of renowned "dubbers" come straight to mind.......Lee and Mad. These guys have serious discographies.....kilometers of music behind their names so we can get a small hint of the "characters" behind two of dubland's most prolific and constant representatives. Mad began by fixing radios and progressed to dealing with sounds...Anyone familiar with his work will surely agree that the notion of borders or rules don't apply everytime, especially during the really "creative " sections that we have had the opportunity to hear. Dubs take the listener to a higher plane, so although some people will refer to it as underground music,the place where it takes one to is far beyond graves or tombs but to the outer reaches of the Universe itself. Hard to believe, but what better way to relax but with a booming bass and some offish lines with the drums crackling and exploding off and on....five minutes may look like time stood still and from there one learns to listen to the voice within and be still.Pure Dubs usually have no vocals...the music speaks for itself. However when an original mixenginproducer decides to sing with dubs, then you have the ultimate experience.....Lee!! Someone once said...M P is crazy by profession, and L P is crazy by reputation. Anyway say or think what you want, Lee remains one of the few who knows exactly "how to do it". Normally, the effects just have to be intelligently set and many a voice will make it thru the session once the mixer man is good. L P goes much further when it comes to doing live dub shows as a "singer". Most people always try to sing in key even if they are not aware of what that is...some just sing along to favourite tunes and we all want to enjoy harmony in music. There are certain exceptions, however, for example when kindergarten kids start up their songs.....nice off keys and thing, and they do it so innocently and beautifully....that is how it is supposed to be.Our man L P has the rare talent of going deliberately away from where the vibes are/is.....completly next area papa!!! And the people still dance and rock and enjoy it!!! So imagine when the flyer says or the CD says that the two of them have combined forces. The result is really like the music they make...way out!!!! All over the world, Lee Perry and Mad Professor have entertained and transfixed crowds with the brand of reggae known as DUB. A whole bunch of DUB artists, mixers and groups are there going through the vibes and making more and more music available to the public. To the masses, it is "underground music" because it cannot be heard everyday everywhere...they don't realise that it cannot be heard everyday everywhere because it is "over space" music. Started from the roots but now reaching out and heading towards cosmic dimensions.....that's the outer connection.

Kabwitt