REGGAE MANIA!

1. ‘Sound Of Africa’ - Steve Kekana (1981)

2. ‘Thule’ - O'yaba (1991)

3. ‘No Man Kill Another Man’ – Jambo (1991)

4. ‘Phambili La Siyakhona’ – Izindlovu (1990)

5. ‘Friday Morning’ - Neville Nash (1982)

6. ‘Babylon Water’ – Cokes (1988)

7. ‘Take It Easy’ – Pongolo (1989)

8. ‘Siyadudula’ – Buthelezi (1988)

9, ‘Reggae Music’ - Dread Warriors (1983)

10. ‘Fire In The Ghetto’ – Zasha (1988)

11. ‘Stop The War’ - Prince And The Buffaloes (1990)

12. ‘Don't Take A Chance’ - Rasta Kids (1984)

13. ‘Good Night Out’ – Kariba (1981)

14. ‘Reggae Mania’ – Quinton (1989)

15. ‘Flash A Flashlight’ - Benjamin Ball (1984)

Following performances in the early 80s by international superstars Jimmy Cliff in Soweto, Peter Tosh in Swaziland and Bob Marley in Zimbabwe, reggae quickly became popular amongst South African of all races and backgrounds. Reggae artists used music and lyrics to take on the apartheid establishment. The latest AFROSYNTH mix, REGGAE MANIA showcases some of the early progenitors of the genre in its uniquely South African, bubblegum-influenced sound. Ripped from the original vinyl and compiled by DJ OKAPI, the lineup includes well-known acts such as O'YABA and JAMBO, lesser known bands like the DREAD WARRIORS, the RASTA KIDS and PONGOLO, and artists from other genres who experimented with reggae (STEVE KEKANA, NEVILLE NASH, ZASHA). It offers a sample of a rich and varied reggae scene and does not include influential figures like Lucky Dube, Carlos Djedje and Colbert 'Harley' Mukwevho. Sit back, light up and enjoy Mzansi"s finest oldskool reggae jams. MO FAYA!

FREE DOWNLOAD!

JAMBO - Calling All Children (1991)

Cool Spot, SPOT(V)011   
Producer: Mally Watson       
Engineer: Sipho Jonson Mdletshe   
Recorded at: Cool Spot Studios, JHB

Jambo were perhaps second only to Lucky Dube in popularity among reggae acts in Mzansi. This was their third album, after Prodigal Son (1988) and Bad Friend (1990), and came during a time of growing uncertainty and violence ahead of the imminent fall of apartheid. The title track is "dedicated to the leaders of tomorrow" and calls on the youth to go back to school, after the student uprisings of 1976 set the tone for much of the militant 1980s:

"The time has come for you to go to school,
The time has come to get education...
One child, one education
will build tomorrow nation...
I cannot always be there to protect you,
So you must learn to stand up on your own"

JAMBO - Bad Friend (1990)

Cool Spot/EMI, SPOT(V)007
Producer: Mally Watson (exec: Ken Haycock)
Engineer: Mally Watson
Composoers: Sipho J Mdletshe & Mandla Nongena
Recorded at: Cool Spot Studios

From their roots in the band Izindlovu, Jambo emerged as arguably the biggest selling reggae act in SA after Lucky Dube, with powerful, uplifting vocals, easy skanking and smooth synths.

Their other albums included Prodigal Son (1988), Calling All Children (1991), Give Us Power (1992) and No One (1996). Bad Friend featured lead vocalist Sipho Mdletshe aka Sipho Jonson. He later went solo and released the album Unborn Child, using the name Sipho Johnson Jambo. (Mojapelo 2008:162)

Highlights include 'No Man Kill Another Man' - a call to end the violence erupting in KZN and around Joburg between the IFP and ANC ahead of the dawn of democracy in '94.



Other tracks are on a more positive note, with gospel-tinged messages of hope like 'Jahovia', 'Don't Cry', and 'Shine on Brighter'.

IZINDLOVU - Phambili La Siyakhona (1990)

Soul Brothers Records / Tusk MXH15

Producer: E. Mqothuka Mkhize
Recorded at: Triple Six Studio, Soweto

Killer album of reggae-tinged Zulu synth-pop on the Soul Brothers label. "Phambili La Siyakhona" is the follow-up to 1989's "Ezami Ziyawina", released on Ken Haycock's Cool Spot label and engineered by Mally "Ntshebe" Watson. Izindlovu was the forerunner of a group that became known as Jambo consisting of Elphus Mkhize, Sipho Johnson Mdletshe and Mandla Nongena. Jambo released several albums in the late 80s and 90s, produced by Richard Siluma after he had left Lucky Dube.