Reggae Disc Jock YaadCore debut Album Reggaeland was released on March 18 and signals his official transition from disc-jock to musician. The album title Reggaeland, pays homage to his homeland Jamaica as well as reinforces the idea that Jamaica is indeed the home of Reggae Music. His vocals maintain the classic and groovy baseline unique to Reggae while still being fresh yet original. Richie Spice, Jah9, along with the late genre innovator and music icon Lee “Scratch” Perry.
Since its release, Reggaeland has peaked at number 6 on the Reggae iTunes chart. A number of singles from the project have also made the singles chart. Yaadcore has been a giant on Kingston’s Reggae scene for quite some time now. He recalls 2014 as the catalyst for his shift in artistic direction; one which he describes as a natural progression. He notes a particular performance in Italy that same year where fans cheered him along to sing a song on one of the instrumentals he was playing.
“Me decide seh me need fi can spit some lyrics pon a riddim fi enhance me DJ show”. From there he began writing more melodies and began exploring the production side of the music as well. The track ‘Ready Now’ was born out of being in the studio with a group of friends and a friend signalling that they ought to leave the studio by uttering the words “we ready now”. He remembers murmuring the words repeatedly while jamming to a soundtrack to formulate the flow for what is now the fourth track on his debut album. This exemplifies his knack for musical composition and the natural progression of his journey.
When asked about the timing of this project release, he responds by assuring that this project is right on time: “Reggae music is in a [particularly] good state right now.” He believes reggae music transcends better through live performances. With the lifting of Covid-19 measures and live performances being permitted, it is a good time for reggae musicians in particular to thrive. Live performances are a primary source of income through touring.
While many artists today are moving away from aligning with any one genre of music, Yaadcore wholeheartedly aligns himself with reggae music. He believes his ear for music composition and instrumentals has given him the discernment to compile and sort his own catalogue in a way that is balanced and brings about a feel-good vibe.
He recalls the process of compiling a particular song which required much patience and discernment; It is the “Ready Now Remix” ft Pressure Busspipe & I-Wayne. “I waan tell yuh she that track almost neva mek it to the album list.”
His patience and trust in the artistic process as well as his own craft assured him that the track would come together perfectly, despite the fact that the other artists along with their production teams were in different countries. Pressure Busspipe’s part of the song was recorded and put together over zoom. The production team includes the USA’s Subatomic Sound, Ian McKee and Green Lion Crew, as well as Jamaica’s Micah Shemiah, Treydrumz, and Chillmuchmore, along with Yaadcore himself.
The 14-track project is a solid work of authentic groovy Reggae music. With two alum launches down and one more to go, the project is now available on all major streaming platforms. The Kingston launch happened on April 08; another took place in Los Angeles on April 23. Yaadcore is now setting the stage for his upcoming Reggaeland tour.
Listen to Yaadcore’s Reggaeland Below.
