Come along take a ride on the Fantastic Voyage
Welcome to our October 2012 REGGAEMANIA EVENTS — We present to you a look through the lens of past October 2012 Reggae-Dancehall Events that took place the Toronto and surrounding areas. See event Flyers, Reviews, Videos and Pics, and listen/download our Audio Podcasts.
This SSF show featured DJ Hammer and his MAGNUM FORCE Sound with live performing artists Younique and Jeffrey Judah… Tonight featured Magnum Force Sound with Selector Hammer at the controls (Dino, his
partner, was working another gig) and special guests Younique (formerly Singer Madoo) alongside Jeffrey Judah. The night was filled with nuff vibes. Hammer admitted he’s not really into the “mixing thing” or the “computer thing”. So far, on Sound System Fridays, he’s been the only DJ juggling CD’s instead of using a laptop with digital music software (I’ve got 1200’s here should any DJ want to use them. Lol!). He’s a party rocker and an experienced clash selector. As time went on, he started to get into the vibe (he was pretty laid back at the beginning of the show as you’ll see) and when the show was over, he didn’t want to stop. He had just warmed up.
Big Up the artists! – Jeffrey Judah brought real vibes with his DJ and performance skills – this combo. makes for a promising future. Younique (formerly Singer Madoo) and I have a lot of history together – we go way back to the golden years of Toronto’s Dancehall Scene (when shows were kept at the Concert Hall, Hungarian Hall, Party Centre and the like). When I entered the scene after leaving Hip-hop, Madoo was already there and a star. It was a pleasure to reunite with him. I thanked Hammer for bringing Younique in as one of his special guests, I had lost track of this very talented artist who still resides here in the T-dot. Enjoy the podcast!
See Hot Pics — Tommy Lee + Madd Squad @ Reggae On Da Rox (Niteclub) 10.20.12
Check these Pics from Reggae On Da Rox @ On Da Rox Nightclub (Steeles & Dufferin) 10.20.12. This party was LIVE from start to finish with a completely different crowd than from the night before at The Guvernment – most of whom didn’t seem to buy into the ‘Tommy Lee’ hype.
This night was different, most of the crowd knew who there were there to see and adding to the hype before Lee took the stage, was an excellent performance by DJ Froggy (Madd Squad) who was a literal one-man destruction team from start to finish on the CD 1′s and 2′s. He didn’t smile much, but he had the crowd in his hands – everything he said and did worked, much to the delight of the bashment ladies in the audience who couldn’t get enough of him aurally and orally. Quick Cook was a no show – no work permit, same for DJ Kenny.
Tommy Lee performed well this night, a total ‘turn around’ from his three minute performance last night at The Guvernment where he seemed to suffer from stage fright.
This show was packed! The crowd was there to see Tommy Lee and they knew his material and sang the lyrics outLOUD! – it made all the difference in the world as far as Tommy’s confidence was concerned. He probably stayed on stage a bit longer than he planned to because he was received so well – the excited ladies in the front row couldn’t stop grabbing his trousers and below the belt. LOL! It’s rare to catch Tommy Lee smiling, but on this night, a few emerged for the cameras and videos to capture. Good show Tommy!
THE TOMMY LEE VIDEO
Part 01 – [10.19.12] of The Video…Tommy Lee performed at Reggae Cafe (The Guvernment) last night and I was there. I think it was after 3:30 AM when he came out for an impromtu performance. When all was said and done, we saw less than three minutes of Tommy – this was due to the fact that he was on a promo tour with a work permit NOT allowing him to put on an ‘official’ show. Tonight, he’s scheduled for On Da Rox and Six Degrees.
Part 02 – [10.20.12] of the Video…Check this video from Reggae On Da Rox (On Da Rox Nightclub). This party was LIVE from start to finish with a completely different crowd than from the night before at The Guvernment – most of whom didn’t seem to buy into the ‘Tommy Lee’ hype. This night was different, most of the crowd knew who there were there to see and adding to the hype before Lee took the stage, was an excellent performance by DJ Froggy (Madd Squad) who was a literal one-man destruction team from start to finish on the CD 1’s and 2’s. He didn’t smile much, but he had the crowd in his hands – everything he said and did worked, much to the delight of the bashment ladies in the audience who couldn’t get enough of him aurally and orally. Quick Cook was a no show – no work permit, same for DJ Kenny.
Tommy Lee performed well this night, a total ‘turn around’ from his three minute performance last night at The Guvernment where he seemed to suffer from stage fright. This show was packed! The crowd was there to see Tommy Lee and they knew his material and sang the lyrics outLOUD! – it made all the difference in the world as far as Tommy’s confidence was concerned. He probably stayed on stage a bit longer than he planned to because he was received so well – the excited ladies in the front row couldn’t stop grabbing his trousers and below the belt. LOL! It’s rare to catch Tommy Lee smiling, but on this night, a few emerged for the cameras and videos to capture. Good show Tommy!
10.19.12 — 4:45 PM – Breaking News…I just got this BBM Blast confirming what ReggaeMania had known for the past few days – Tommy Lee, Jamaica’s hottest Dancehall artist is right here in Toronto as we speak. Promoters have succeeded in securing a work permit for him after a failed attempt that would have seen Tommy Lee on a Stone Love dance held previously in the T Dot. As I write, promoters appear to be scrambling to find a place for him to perform, but, due to the last minute notice, there have been no takers. So, in the mean time…the BBM message from promoters says: Tommy Lee is live in Toronto – Sounds, line up for your dubs!!!
I just received another blast telling me that Tommy Lee will be LIVE at On Da Rox Nightclub at Steeles and Dufferin for Reggae On Da Rocks, already rumored to be hosted by Quick Cook. We’ll see if we can score an interview with Tommy Lee before he departs from the T Dot.
See Hot Pics — Reggae Cafe ft. Tommy Lee @ Guvernment 10.19.12
Reggae Cafe ft. Tommy Lee @ Guvernment 10.19.12 featured a pass through by Jamaica’s latest sensation – Tommy Lee. This dance was lively. As soon as I got there, I noticed that the packed house was grooving to the oldies – a “Redemption” vibe was in the air, but, that’s how Reggae Cafe likes it. I managed to snap some pics of Tommy, but, the best ones were a result of him posing with the very sexy Nikki Hype. Tommy’s performance was really short. Infact, the crowd had no idea he was even going to be there. When he stepped to the mic, most audience members didn’t recognize him let alone his material. He got the Canadian artist treatment and quickly excused himself from the stage after surveying the crowd and their lack of enthusiasm. Such was NOT the case the following night at On Da Rox. It was a late late night for me, but, well worth it – I had fun!
This SSF show featured DJ BLAX DUN DA PLACE with live performing artists Fyahnese, Puppi Chapanore and iYawda… Toronto’s Blaxz Dun Da Place graced the ReggaeManiaRadio studio for Sound System Fridays. He
was joined by Puppi Chapanore, iYAWDA and Fyahnese (formerly Japanese) – who dropped by to pay tribute to his friend, the late Captain Barkey whom we lost during the week. Overall, the night was highly entertaining – good music, great performances and controversial speak (whose name didn’t Blaxz call). A special thanks to Blaxz who smashed the record formerly held by Rebel Tone and Fire Kid Steenie for most overall viewers during Sound System Fridays. Steenie still holds the record for the steadiest viewership though. Those that tuned in right at 9 PM right through until Midnight. Enjoy the vibes!
See Hot Pics — Modern Warfare Soundclash 10.13.12
Congratulations to Innocent Sound who emerged victorious in the Dead This Time Modern Warfare Soundclash @ Hickory House 10.13.12! The Innocent Sound victory, to me, is considered an “upset”, since Don Rankin was the clear winner of all three rounds of the clash previous to ‘chune fi chune’. So, I guess the only purpose of the three rounds was to knock out the weakest link – which, this night turned out to be Outcast – they came hard, but, still exited by the crowd in the elimination round previous to ‘chune fi chune’. Hickory House was fairly packed and the crowd waited in anticipation for the final showdown between Innocent and Don Rankin.
Here’s where things got messed up – the ‘chune fi chune’ was announced as a “best of five” or was it? The controversy being – “the first to five” (meaning the first sound to win 5 rounds wins the clash), yet the clash went on. Rules weren’t set or if they were, they went out the window and judging the raising of hands in a fairly dark venue makes any decision difficult not to mention flawed.
Don Rankin won a round and because some people booed, the hosts and judges felt the heat and reversed their decision. That move changed the momentum for Innocent – who had good speech despite poor delivery in a choppy ‘chune fi chune’ on both sides.
Then, confusion set in…People (including the organizers) lost track of the score and after realizing that, the clash needed not to continue since Innocent had won 3 rounds. Innocent had had enough and started to walk out…The promoters caught wind of this and announced to Innocent that they were the ‘official’ winner of the clash and that time had simply run out as they only booked the venue until 3:30 AM.
All I remember is Foutie Ranks saying “Oh no, not again, not this” – referring to his interpretation that the Don Rankin Sound had again been robbed of a trophy due to poor enforcement of rules or lack of them. They may have been pacing it out, not afraid to come back from behind since they had believed a sound had to win 5 rounds to earn the trophy. Unfortunately for Don Rankin, this decision is and should be, irreversible. The opportunity was there to kick some ass, but the sound, for whatever reason, fell short or was it the fans who gave it to them?
The people who had stayed around after the conclusion of the clash seemed all in agreement that when all was said and done, Innocent deserved the trophy, but if there was a winner based on rounds, then what about Don Rankin? Anyways, Congratulations to Innocent Sound, who I believe hail from Florida! That boy has got some good qualities, and he performed solo without his usual MC – Props for that!
The audio for this clash will be much anticipated and should squash some people’s curiosities as to technically what happened with the scoring, but they’ll also hear a pretty good clash that, despite it’s nasty ending, left most people satisfied. Toronto’s clash crowd got their soundclash “fix” and we now know that this is just how clash goes…tings happen and rarely is there perfection. Stay tuned – we’ll be giving a more detailed report of this clash in just a few days.
See Hot Pics — Malcolm X @ FNR Radio Show Podcast 10.12.12
Jamaica’s Malcolm X passed through the ReggaeManiaRadio studio for Sound System Fridays. He probably wishes he could do it over again – his computer crashed minutes before the start of the show (9 PM) forcing him to use his second computer as backup which didn’t contain the same musical content that he had hoped to air. I found his mixing choppy, even his cuts too. I would say Malcolm X has some work to do when it comes to musical presentation. Tonya P did not disappoint! She worked the mic like a veteran and in my opinion, saved the show by bringing artical vibes to the ReggaeManiaRadio studio and the listeners and viewers at home. Enjoy! Big Up ICI Promo, Malcolm X and Tonya P!
See Hot Pics — Fire Kid Steenie, Eyesus, Father Price @ FNR Radio Show Podcast 10.05.12
Toronto’s Fire Kid Steenie graced the ReggaeManiaRadio studio this past Friday for: Friday Night ReggaeMania – Sound System Fridays. He was joined by special guests Eyesus and Father Price who complemented his style – “Go Hard” and that he did! Steenie was thirty minutes into the show when i had to briefly remind him to slow down – he was soakin’ it like it was early in the mawnin’, at the peak of the dance. He smiled and kept rinsing dubs and chunes – he never ran out! He dropped exclusive dubs from Mavado and I-Octane. This show will excite and inspire DJs and music critics alike as Fire Kid Steenie is without a doubt, Canada’s Top Dancehall DJ. Yuuup! People from the T Dot already know this – we got our own ‘Tony Matterhorn’ right here. Enjoy the podcast!
