David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan – the unlikely figurehead of reggae sound system culture in the UK and around the world – turned 60 last week. Rodigan presents a two-hour reggae show on Kiss FM every Sunday night and, between radio appearances, is one of the most in-demand club DJs in [...]
Jamaican culture has undeniably enriched London, and it is now impossible to imagine the city without the influence the generations of West Indians have had on it. The first islanders arriving onthe Windrush, like all immigrants, brought their music and culture with them. The calypso and Jamaican mento that arrived [...]
Gil Scott-Heron was one of those rare artists who defies category; poet, novelist, jazz musician, criminal and revolutionary could describe various phases of his life and career. Having steppedinto the spotlight in 1970 with his percussion-heavy debut LP Small Talk at 125th & Lenox, Gil toured, wrote,recorded and smoked his [...]
I suspect that, like many Londoners, I cope with the scale of my city by imagining its urban geography as series of interconnected villages. Where others see part of an impersonal alien metropolis,I see my local village with its familiar landmarks and comforting streets. My London village is Camden and [...]