Half a century after its release, the impossibly simple groove of “Stir It Up” still defines what reggae sounds like to the world. We trace the song from its 1967 Wailers debut through Johnny Nash’s 1972 crossover hit to the version everyone knows from Catch a Fire.
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Modern reggae production has access to every plugin and convolution reverb ever made. So why do most contemporary mixes still sound thinner than a 1976 Studio One tape? Three working producers weigh in on the room, the tape, and the spaces in between.
Eight intimate venues across Europe and the US, full live band, no opening act. The legendary Winston Rodney returns to the road with a setlist drawn from across his five-decade career. Dates + ticket info inside.
A common question we get: “Where do I start?” Reggae has a deeper catalogue than almost any other genre, which makes the on-ramp intimidating. Here are five albums, in deliberate order, that will take you from zero to fluent in roughly fifteen hours of listening.
In a rare 1994 BBC interview, Jimmy Cliff walked through the writing of his most-covered song line by line. The story behind those four chords is darker, lonelier, and more specific than the soaring gospel arrangement suggests.
A new SunSka editorial playlist of slow-tempo roots reggae — the heavy stuff for headphone listening after midnight. 32 tracks, 2 hours 18 minutes. Familiar names, deep cuts.
Bob Marley’s 1973 international debut shipped with two different covers — the famous Zippo lighter sleeve and the older flame-against-black design — and got a third in 2001. Each version tells you something about how Island Records was selling reggae at the time.