“Liberation” calls back to a culture and time period of Jamaican music that changed lives. In the 70’s, roots reggae artists sang songs of black pride, spirituality, resistance, and resilience behind sound beds of booming bass, steady drums, and blaring organs on analog tape.
What would you say is special about reggae music?
It's like a one-love music. It's supposed to spread love. Give joy. At the same time, there's a time for everything, right? A time for war, a time to cry, a time to have joy, have fun, right? In its time it does. It works. It's a liberation music. It brings people together too, you know. Yeah. (Keith “Kikah” Jackson)
What was the highlight in creating this pack?
The highlight of creating this pack — and I think with creating any pack — has to do with the research. We owe Jamaica a lot. I mean, from hip hop to... to techno to house, to a lot of different genres of music. You know, you can trace a lot of that back to that one island. (Matthew Smythe)
What's your connection to roots reggae music and how do you bring that connection to this pack?
My family is Jamaican. I grew up with it. I've always been around it so it's always fun to be a part of it and play it and even just listen to it, just trying to be connected and imagine what those people were thinking when they were making it. Trying to be real with the sound and just be true to what it is. (Nick Braham)
Why is reggae music an important genre of music to offer in a sample pack?
Reggae music is important to me because it's very timeless. The music is timeless. The style is timeless. The people are timeless. It resonates with a lot of people... and a lot of people around the world. You have Africans who love the sound of reggae. Even Indians. You have raga. Where does raga come from?It's a very influential sound. It's a sound that resonates with the world. (Matthew Smythe)
Check out the Liberation sample pack by clicking the link below and explore the soul, spirituality, and resilience of roots reggae.