President Raygun regrets funding the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives through the Student Loan Program
<Livicated to Ronald Reagan; 10 sec.>
Greetings,
The Rastas called him:
Ronald
Wilson
Reagan – 666
I pay tribute to his legacy in funding the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives through the 80’s student loan program. 30 years ago it was more Pell Grants than 9% Loans.
So I would take the check, put in a savings account and once in the summer and usually once during the Holidays, I would travel to the Bay Area and descend upon the plentiful record stores from Reno to San Jose.
So it is hard not be nostalgic after I have been moving into my 400+ square foot Ark-Ive: 31 sec.
From the Garage:
To the Ark-Ive:
Spent 2k on CD towers to empty out the cardboard boxes and onto shelving. Every Saturday before Smile Jamaica since New Year’s I have prepared for this move.
Now that I am inside the house, I have to make sensi of the entropy. A journey of a thousand miles begins with unloading a single box.
A luta continua – The struggle continues
bless, robt
He did alright for I ‘n’ I
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 24, 2017: Annotated Playlist: 40 sec.
Before there was a Dubstep, I was calling it Mutant Dub!
Greetings,
Needed a long weekend to begin the giant move into the newly renovated Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
The Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives – Day 1
Last Saturday: From 7:30 AM to 6 PM. Moved all my LPs, 10″ and 12″ black wax from my detached garage to the Ark-Ive.
Loaded massive Tupperware tubs full of records. Loaded them on a Dolly and pushed them the 50 feet from garage to the back door. Lifted them over the door stop and finessed them into the new room.
Since I had spent all winter and spring sorting 15,000? pieces of black vinyl goodness into proper categories, moving from the tubs to the shelf was easy.
Now if I want to find Mutant Dub, herbtune, Halloween songs by female artists. I know right where to go. Before it was a game of needle in a haystack trying to remember which pile to dig through.
Other than a quick lunch, it was 9 hours of physical, exhausting labor. I was drenched in sweat and sore all over..
But it was worth it. Looks very nice and neat. Unlike the hoarder/collector vibe of massive cardboard boxes filled with stock bought out from long dead record store chains.
CDs are next. So because i don’t like to go a week without new content at Mixcloud’s Smile Jamaica Podcast link: enjoy 3 hours of Mutant Dub not interruptions, just bass in ur face!
I’ll be checking it while I spend 10AM to 3PM Saturday huffing CDs into the Ark-Ive
Vinyl last Saturday. Non-Reggae CDs and DVDs this Saturday – From the garage into the Ark-ives
bless, robt
0-30 min.
Avatars of Dub – Uptown Jungle; Babylon Is Ours (Echo Beach) 2003 Germ.
Morcheeba – Small Town; Who Can You Trust? (Indochina) ’96 UK w/ female vox
Digital Dubs feat. Jeru Banto – Liga Legalise; #1 (ROIR) 2011 Brazilian herbtune
Djins feat. Venudas – Indi’ka; Verbalistic (Hammerbass) 2003 Fr./Arabic
Afro Omega – Whatcha Need + Dub; Pick Up the Pieces (Afro Omega) 2006 SLC w/ female vox
Dr. Israel – Counting Out Stones; Patterns of War (ROIR) 2005 Brooklyn dubber
30-60 min.
Dub Syndicate – Dubbing Is a Must; Fear of a Green Planet (Shanachie) ’98 UK
Thievery Croproation feat. Pamela Bricker – Lebanese Blonde (French version) + Dub; CD Single (ESL) ’98 herbtune
OSC – Originate; Bay Area Dub Step (Full Melt) 2011
Pama International – I Found Sunshine; Float Like a Butterfly (Asian Man) 2005 UK
Ther Herbaliser feat. What What– Herbal Blend; CD Single (Ninja Tunes) ’97 UK female vox
In the middle of Spring fund drive at your station that rules the nation. So in order to keep fresh roots on the podcast version of Smile Jamaica, I cooked up three hours of my specialty: Mutant Dub.
Requested by a Twitter follower. These are the heavy bass and echo with Jamaican drum ‘n’ bass with modern electronic and echodelia.
Play loud so the bass pulsates!
bless, robt
Princess Leia pon the riddims
Smile Jamaica Digital Dubplate – Mutant Dub Mash-down Playlist:
0-30 min.
Thievery Corporation – Let the Chalice Blaze; The Temple of I & I (ESL) 2017 DC herb instrumental
Afro Omega – Set in the Sky; Love Emergency (Afro Omega) 2008 SLC dubbers w/ female vox
Benga – Light Bulb; Diary of an Afro Warrior (Tempa) 2008 UK
Bass Communion – Ghosts on Magnetic Tape IV; Ghost on Magnetic Tape (Headphone Dust) 2003 UK
The Herbaliser feat. What What; The Blend (Cuban Blend); CD Single ’97 UK feat. Female vox
Thievery Corporation – Temple of I & I – best of 2017
30-60 min
Bentley Rhythm Ace – Do the Christmas Rush (EMI) 2000 UK
Chris Joss – Get With It; Teraphonic Overdubs (ESL) 2007 Fr.
Black Star Liner – Swimmer; Bengali Bantam Youth Experience (Warner) ’99 UK Hindi-dub
Ancient Astronauts feat. Phat Old Mamas – A Hole to Swallow Us; We are to Answer (ESL) 2009 Germ. w/ female vox
Audio Active – Happy Shopper; Happy Happer (ON U Sound) ’95 Jah-pon
Nightmares on Wax – Da Feelin; Thought So… (Warp) 2008 UK
It was Chinese leader Mao Zedong who said Women Hold Up Half the Sky. I was inspired by what I saw during the International Women’s Day celebrations and remembrances.
As many specialty shows I have done over the Years (Mutant Dub, Jah-loween, 4:20, Marley Tributes), I had never done a full on Women’s Reggae Special
I have been doing radio for almost 30 years. No one has really critiqued or analyzed how i program Smile Jamaica in decades. So I can get into ruts like anyone else.
Reggae music is a largely male, Rasta music form. I don’t play much romantic Reggae, which is where quite a bit of female Reggae fixates.
It was probably around Iraq War 2.0, if I remember correctly, I was slinging Roots and got a phone call from a listener. Woman said to me, “I love Smile Jamaica but you don’t play very much women’s Reggae.”
I took that criticism to heart and ever since I try to juggle at least 1 female tune in my four song sets. And it certainly isn’t tokenism. It’s just methodically harvesting all my Dawtas out of my massive archives of CDs, LPs, 10″ and 12″ and 7″ 45s. Now I can rotate in the best Roots with Quality female artists.
What I call Roots Dawtas or Mutant Dubstresses.
Livicated to all the wives, mothers, dawtas, grandmothers, sisters, nieces, girlfriends and friends.
bless, robt
Annotated Playlist for Smile Jamaica: March 11, 2017 – Roots Dawta Showcase; 1min 10 sec.
Set 1:
Natural Beauty – Nice Up Dancee; Nice Up Dancee (RAS) ’86
Thievery Corporation feat. Racquel Jones – Road Block; Temple of I & I
The best thing about February? Only 28 days of Winter. Every Saturday it gets a little lighter later in the show. Soon come Spring weather and maximum daylight.
So until we can put our winter gear away, let’s run the bass for put a smile pon your face!
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 25, 2017; 45 sec.
Set 1:
Lawrence H – Love Jah; Studio One Sales Conference (Studio One) ’75 JA vinyl
Herbie Mann & the Tommy McCook Band – Ob la Di, Ob la Da; Herbie Mann Reggae (Atlantic); ’74 Vinyl Dub Album of the Hour; New Orleans flutist
The great thing about the Digital Media Age and Social Media, if I take a week off the radio, I can still mash up Roots for I ‘n’ I from the comfort of home.
Enjoy my favorites from the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
Living room kinda cloudy!
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica Digital Dubplate – Roots Roulette:
0-30 min.
Thievery Corporation feat. Lou Lou Ghelichkhani; Temple of I & I (ESL) brand new DC dubbers w/ female vox
Jolly Brothers – Oppression; Conscious Man (Seven Leaf) ’78 Lee Perry/Black Ark
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Exodus (Kindread Mix); Why Should I (CD Single) (Tuff Gong) ’92 rmx
Ijahman Levi – Zion Train; Haile I Hymn (Island) ’78 feat. Steve Winwood on keys
Sheryl Lee Ralph w/ Cedella & Sharon Marley – (I’m Hurting Inside); Mighty Quinn Soundtrack (A & M) ’89 Bob cover
Aswad – Nuclear Soldier; To the Top (Simba) ’87 UK
Brand new good for you: Thievery Corporation – Temple of I & I. All killer, no filler!
30-60 min.
Dennis Brown – Should I; Words of Wisdom (Shanachie) ‘79
Wailing Souls – Things and Time; Very Best of the Wailing Souls (Greensleeves) ‘77
Blood Sisters – Ring My Bell; Hustle! (Soul Jazz) ’79 Anita Ward disco cover
Don Carlos – Crucial Situation; Prophecy (Blue Moon) ‘84
The Gayladds & Baba Dread w/ Roots Radics – Little Candle + Candle Version; Understanding (Tamoki Wambesi) ‘80
Gideon Jah Rubbaal – Judgeman (sic) Time; Free Us Now (ACL2000) ‘77
Keith Hudson – Rasta Communication; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ‘78
African Head Charge – Hymn; Songs of Praise (ON U Sound) ’91 mutant dub world sounds
Afro Omega – Love Emergency; Love Emergency (Afro Omega) 2008 SLC mutant dub w/ female vox
Gregory Isaacs – Sad to Know You’re Leaving; Night Nurse (Mango) ’82 lovers rock
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Fite Dem Back; Forces of Victory (Mango) ’79 UK dub poet
Sri Lankan Dubstep
90 min. – 2 hr.
Ini Kamoze – General; Mini LP (Mango) ’84
The Archives feat. Ichelle Cole – Boof Baff; The Archives (ESL) 2012; ½ of Thievery Corp w/ female vox
Mike Brooks – Feeling of Reggae; Rum Drinker (Teams) ‘79
Matty G – Sesimilla; Bay Area Dubstep vol. 03 (Full Melt) 2011 mutant dub herbtune
Sheriff Lindo & the Hammer – Skydubbing; Ten Dubs that Shook the World (EM) ’88 Jah-stralia Dub
Destroy Babylon – Nuh Skin Up; The Shadow Army (MusicADD) 2008 Mutant dub cover of Keith Hudson; Waltham MA band
Sister Carol – Wild Thing; Something Wild Soundtrack (MCA) singjay to Troggs classic
2 hr – 2 and 1/2 hr
Winston McAnuff – Fear; Diary of the Silent Years (Makasound)
Spacemonkeyz vs. Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood (A Fistful of Peanuts); Laika Come Home (Virgin) 2002 remix set
Lily Allen – Nan You’re a Window Shopper; Alright, Still (Capitol) 2007 UK pop singer hates her grandma
Mighty Diamonds – Cat O’ Nine; Ice on Fire (Virgin Front Line) ’77 Allen Toussaint prod’n
Bad Brains – To the Heavens; God of Love (Maverick) ’95 Punk Reggae
Jacob Miller & Fatman Riddim Section – Healing of the Naiton + Joshua “A” Loaf; Jacob Miller Meets the Fatman Riddim Section (Crocodisc) ’78 herbtune: Rev. 22:2 – And the leaves of the tree are the healing of the nations (2 and ½ hr.)
8 down, 42 to go!
2 and 1/2 – 3 hr.
Hollie Cook – 99; Twice (Mr. Bongo) 2014 dawta of a Sex Pistol
Kid Loco – Here Comes the Munchies; Kill Your Darlings (Bellville) 2001 downtro herbtune
Misty in Roots – Wondering Wanderer; Chronicles (Kaz) ’81 Best of UK group
Samia Farah – Homesick Blues; Many Moods of Samia Farah (SAM) 2008 Fr.-Tunisian female singer
Lee “Scratch” Perry & George Faith – I Got the Groove; From the Secret Laboratory (Mango) ’90 update
The Pioneers – Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye); Give and Take (Trojan) Steam soul cover
Nora Dean – Barbwire; Monkey Business (Trojan) ‘69
Been on a cratedig during the Thanksgiving Holiday. So I have been away from the decks at KRCL Smile Jamaica.
My fascination beyond Reggae is what I have called Mutant Dub for nearly 30 years: Take Reggae drum & bass and weld it on to contemporary dance, dub echo and modern pulsating electro beats.
So I hunkered down in my Secret Dubratory this week and cooked up what I call Digital Dubplate shows. Bonus roots and dubbers.
From A to Z. From Audio Active out of Jah-pon to Zombi Italian dubbers. Massive Attack, The Slits, ON U Sound, Bill Laswell and Thievery Corporation.
Dub ‘n bass will put a smile pon your face!
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica Digital Dubplate: Mutant Dub A-Z Playlist:
0 – 30 min:
Audio Active – Audio Active’s Adventures in Time and Space; Happy Shopper (ON U Sound) ’95 Jah-pon: Mutant Dub A-Z
Bomb the Bass feat. Justin Warfield – Bug Powder Dust; clear (Fourth & Broadway) ’95 tribute to William Burroughs
Creation Rebel/New Age Steppers – Chemical Specialist; Threat to Creation (Cherry Red) ’81 dub to Jah Woosh Woodpecker Sound
Dub Dynasty – Thundering Mantis; Thundering Mantis (Steppas) 2014 UK
Ex-Centric Sound System – Ex-Centric Dub Show; Electric Voodooland (Loud) 2000 Brooklyn Afro-Dub
Fat Freddy’s Drop – Silver and Gold; Blackbird (Fat Freddy’s Drop) 2013 New Zealand
Gorillaz – Revolving Doors; The Fall (Virgin) 2010 UK
30-60 min
The Herbaliser – Sensual Woman; Session 1 (!K7) 2000 UK best
The Tamlins – Baltimore; Taxi Fare (Heartbeat) ’80; Nina Simone cover; 13 sec.
Capital Letters – Run Run Run; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group
Peter Broggs – Just Because I’m a Rastaman; Rastafari Liveth! (RAS) ’82 DC
Akabu – Feeling Good; Warrior Queen (ON U Sound) ’89 UK female group
1978 comeback cover of Randy Newman. Baltimore in the news.
Baltimore by Randy Newman
Beat-up little seagull
On a marble stair
Tryin’ to find the ocean Lookin’ everywhere
Hard times in the city In a hard town by the sea Ain’t nowhere to run to There ain’t nothin’ here for free
Hooker on the corner Waitin’ for a train Drunk lyin’ on the sidewalk Sleepin’ in the rain
And they hide their faces And they hide their eyes ’cause the city’s dyin’ And they don’t know why
Oh, baltimore Man, it’s hard just to live Oh, baltimore Man, it’s hard just to live, just to live
Get my sister sandy And my little brother ray Buy a big old wagon Gonna haul us all away
Livin’ in the country Where the mountain’s high Never comin’ back here ’til the day I die
Oh, baltimore Man, it’s hard just to live Oh, baltimore Man, it’s hard just to live, just to live
Set 6: Jamaican Jukebox 45 RPM; 6 sec.
Rob Smarley (aka Albert Griffiths) – Holiday Ride; 7” (Portland) ’78 JA; 7” Jamaican Jukebox set
<Albert Griffiths as Rob Smarley? 14 sec.>
Anthony Johnson – Oh Jah; 7” (Corner Stone) JA
Lady Ann – Informer; 7” (Taxi) ’83 JA
Carlton Livingston – Chalice in Hand; 7” (Taxi) herbtune
Some sort of inside joke by The Gladiators lead singer? Albert Griffiths
Set 8: Mutant Dub*
*Programming Note: power surge from all the Mutant Dub bass knocked the station off air. Most of Jah Woosh and 2 Bad Card zapped by KRCL’s weak sauce transmitter. 2 minutes of dead air chopped from the stream. Mea culpa — the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. 21 sec.
Ari Up – Kill Em With Love (Collision) 2005 former lead singer of The Slits punk group; mutant dub set
<Reggae History Lesson: punk dubstress Ari Up: The Slits, New Age Steppers, solo 14 sec.>
The Archives feat. Ras Puma – Who’s Correct?; The Archives (ESL) 2012; Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation
Red I – Jahdgement Day; Jahdgement Day (Red I) Phillipines dub
Jah Woosh – Woodpecker Sound; Wild Paarty Sounds vol. 1 (ON U Sound) ‘81
2 Bad Card – Weed Specialist; CD single (ON U Sound) ‘95
Jah Rej – Yes I; 12” (Jah Works)
African Head Charge – Fruit Market; Drastic Season (ON U Sound) ‘83
Ari Up of The Slits and New Age Steppers. Johnny Rotten was her father in law
Parting Shot Words of Wisdom: Do yourself a favor educate your mind!
The Lion of Judah shall break every chain and give I the Victory again and again…Robert “Nesta” Marley
Smile Jamaica much prefers Collie-rado’s Inversion Galore to Utah’s Winter Smog. 4 down, 46 to go!
Greetings,
<Inversion Galore. Surviving Utah’s Winter Smog>
Settling into Jah-nuary. Middle of winter. The two month period of hibernation between the Green Bud Bowl Packers last game and opening Season for my beloved San Francisco, Giants baseball.
Weeping and Wailing and gnashing of teeth 😦
Green Bud Bowl Packers legendary collapse. Dread only had to do one thing and one thing only: catch the effing ball. Game over. Super Bowl 49. Fiyah bun!
<Green Bud Bowl Packers epic collapse against Seapukes: No Superbowl for I ‘n’ I; 17 sec.>
***
Grinding it out at work trying to avoid the flu and the colds brought about by Utah’s chunky air. Flu shot was a dud. Everyone in my family except me got it. Praise Jah! One of my best friends had to go to the emergency room with fluid in her lungs. Utah from November to March great for skiiers. Not so much for those with ashthma.
So playing rope a dope in cutting through the Post Holiday blah’s with the Kool Roots of Reggae ‘n’ Dubwize.
High-lights of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-nuary 24, 2015; 64 sec.
Wailers Family Tree: Bob & Peter Live in Leeds UK; Tosh live acoustic radio performance; Bunny chants down Botha and Apartheid South Africa, Marcia Griffiths – Steppin’ ’79
Dub Album of the Week: Aba-Shanti Ites. Mutant dub instrumentals
Soundtracks: Reggae on celluloid
Best of Smile Jamaica 25 Years: Marcia G, Prince Lincoln UFOria, Dillinger PSA on STD’s
Vinyl is V-Ital: Roots Dawtas: lovers rock, deejay Seven Leaf, dub poet
Mutant Dub: UFO skywatching soundtrack
<Songs to watch the sky for UFO’s. They are out there. Do not scoff!; 8 sec.>
bless, robt
Galaxy poll on the Terrestrial Drug War
Smile Jamaica Playlist: Jah-nuary 24, 2015:
Set 1:
Kojak – Glory to Jah; Chant Down Babylon (Gorgon) JA vinyl
Aba-Shanti-I &the Shanti-Ites – Tower of Bable (sic); Verse III (Falasha) ’99; Dub Album of the Week: mutant dub style
Black Slate – Mozart in Trenchtown; World Citizen (Unit 8) 2014 UK roots reunion
<Black Slate: UK Roots Reunion; 29 sec.>
Akabu – Fate of the World; Warrior Queen (ON U Sound) ’95 UK female roots group
African Brothers – Gimme Gimme African Love; 10” (Main Line) ’77, Tony Tuff Sugar Minott group
Iba – Babylon Don’t Like; Many Lives (Mt. Nebo) 2006; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
<4 down, 46 to go!; 7 sec.>
Big Youth – Honesty; Screaming Target (Trojan) ’72; on Slaving riddim
UK Roots Reunion. One of Smile Jamaica’s Best of 2014
Set 2:
The Wailers – Stop That Train; Burnin’ (Deluxe Edition) (Tuff Gong); Live at Leeds UK; 11/23/73
Cedric ‘Im Brooks – Jah Light It Right; Light of Saba (Honest Jon’s) ’76 horn jazz + nyahbinghi instrumental
Dennis Brown – Give a Helping Hand; 10” (Observer Gold)
Rhoda Dakar – 007; Cleaning in Another Woman’s Kitchen (Moon Ska) 2007; singer in Special AKA, Bodysnatchers ska covers Desmond Dekker
2 Tone Ska-stress: Bodysnatchers, Special AKA, sang a song about date rape that is brilliant and harrowing “The Boiler”
Set 3: Reggae tunes on Soundtracks
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Dreadlocks in Moonlight; Countryman Soundtrack (Mango) ‘82
Western Roots – Rockers Galore; Babylon Central Soundtrack (ESL) 2010 mutant dub
Ranking Joe – World in Trouble; (Vibronics ‘Ska Boom’ rmx); Twilight Circus Dub SoundSystem: Remixed : Dubwise (M); 2004 Dutch dubber
U Brown – No Wicked Can’t Reign; 3 the Roots Way (Jah Warrior) 2000
Thanksgiving 2012 I was in ICU at Hospital. Fought hard to live til Dec. 21, 2012. End of Mayan Calendar. Or as Red I calls it: Jahdgement Day
Smile Jamaica is hosted by Robert Nelson on 90.9 FM KRCL in Salt Lake City, Utah (Saturdays, 4-7 p.m. MT). Ark-ives available weekly here at the Smile Jamaica blog.
Smile Jamaica 
