Aba Shanti I biography, Aba Shanti I discography
WHO'S WHO' page, Aba used to deejay 'Jah Tubby's' sound system and at
that time he was known as 'Jasmine Joe'.Those of you that were around the sound system scene in the eighties will remember the slightly
extrovert mic man that 'Jah Tubby's' had;that was Aba.I' is not just the name of the sound system, it is the name of the
person that is playing the sound.Over the last 10 years Aba has been playing his sound, and the music created by his brother
Blood Shanti on that sound,in small and large halls throughout this country and in the process has
developed a following covering the widest spectrum of Jah's humanity.Falasha recordings) have been the subject of 3 television
programmes.German 'Deep in Dub',1 French 'Aba at Carnival' and 1 domestic 'Urban Rites' Big Issue Film
Unit Series.Ites' live and direct and in their
own backyard.This site has all the images from all the dances and festivals and is bang up to date.It will be updated with the
text based material but no more images as they take up an awful amount of web space.One Love
The Very Tired Humble Lion
Welcome to the official Falasha recordings website.Just a word in your ears to alleviate any concerns that you may have regarding this website
and ourselves.The site works properly in IE4.This video has been added to your favorites.The video has been added to your playlist.Thank you for sharing your concerns.Thank you for flagging this video.Per our Community Guidelines, hate speech is specifically defined in reference to "protected groups."We can only process copyright complaints submitted by authorized parties in accordance with processes defined in law.There may be significant legal penalties for false notices.In order to process a privacy complaint we need more information from you.Thank you for sharing this video!RUB A DUB REBELS 1, COULU YOU SEND A LINK OR SUMTIN.SERIOUS VIBES INNA DE VIDEO FROM DE MIGHTY MIGHTY SOUNDS OF JAH LIGHTNING JAH THUNDER ABA SHANTI I EARTH ROCKERRRJAH RASTAFARIII!!!!After making your selection, copy and paste the embed code above.The code changes based on your selection.ABA SHANTI I IN SESSION...ABA SHANTI I IN SESSION...This video has been added to your favorites.The video has been added to your playlist.Thank you for flagging this video.Change this to see only comments above a certain value.Change the value of a comment by clicking on a thumb.After making your selection, copy and paste the embed code above.The code changes based on your selection.ABA SHANTI I IN SESSION...Aba shanti i playing hi...This site will expand as time goes on and will be updated as regularly as possible, time allowing.This site will not just be about self promotion for our record company and products.We are just people, and we believe in justice for all the people'.All links are in red and underlined.FREE set up, first month FREE.America backs its puppet leaders and the media sanitises, separates "spectators" from reality.For example, we can watch Buddhist monks set themselves alight: People watch this on a screen and it means nothing.For Aba Shanti sound system, on the other hand, we are unified by our goals and aims, and we intend to achieve them in a way we consider to be moral and upright.It seemed fitting somehow, and matched the intensity and seriousness of sound that Aba Shanti made.Anyone who has witnessed Aba Shanti and full crew will testify to the gut rearranging force of the sound.Standing near the speaker stacks, it is like a wind, moving towards you.It hints at a solemnity present in the most sacred of music.Some Dreads were coolly talking, and playing dominos in the corner.This quote intrigued me, and I made a mental note to check this quote out carefully when I returned home.He came across as being straightforward and direct, solid as a rock.Samari, the percussionist, a polite man, with a qualification from the Royal College of Music, was also present but remained silent for most of the interview.All Shanti sound members exuded a calm and optimistic atmosphere, leaving no doubt that they "walk it as they talk it."We drank and ate in the calm darkness of the studio, which became misty with spirals of heady smoke as time passed.He comes across as well informed, inquisitive and reflective.Shanti fold and in the world, and on the other hand "darkness" to those manipulative holders of power, who represent corrupt and violent governments and ideologies everywhere.Rasta "reasonings" and debate typically move, develop and change, fluidly and naturally: Inspired poetic insight and expression one moment, Biblical "fire" and surreal stream of consciousness the next, shifting effortlessly to focussed spiritual or political semantics and dialectic.This is the way things run with Aba Shanti Sound System.AM: What kind of people check out Aba Shanti sound system, and how do you view the "moral motivation" behind what Aba Shanti do?Ultimately, people who are like us, who hold similar attitudes, will gravitate towards us, because we are aiming for the same virtues that they are, and this creates a something a lot better than what society stands for.For Aba Shanti sound system, on the other hand, we are unified by our goals and aims, and we intend to achieve them in a way we consider to be moral and upright.AM: How do you go about putting together a song, lyrically and musically?This is what song writing is about: the essence of being able to capture your emotions, and put them into words.If a man can't visualise his goals, internally and externally, then it's like walking in the desert.That trigger of emotion is the essence of true music.In reggae music now, you have a oneness of expression, dark and light unified, black and white working together.This is what is happening right here now in the U.AM: In what way do you think the UK roots sound system culture and dub plates is different from what is happening in JA?BS: I was born in England, with inner city vibes.So many artists strive for a Jamaican sound, or an American sound, but I feel that is the wrong road for UK artists to take.We've been born here and we must create our own sound forms, and put our stamp on the world.Actually, when we create music we reflect and echo what we see all around us, from the point at which we wake up every morning and look around us: When I go outside, I see city smoke everywhere, traffic, darkness, no birds, no trees, no nature.Jamaican musicians see our music here as too hard and harsh, but we're in a concrete jungle, you overstand, and I can only express myself from the way I live.BS: Well, these points we make are true, but we still come from a powerful Jamaican root and tradition, even though we have diversified to reflect our condition.Fredlocks and Aswad were wicked too, I have to name check "Love and Only Love", and "Warrior Charge".Aswad, and tunes like this changed the whole reggae scene here in England, it was so far ahead of its time, it stood out from ALL the other roots music going on.So, that was music from my time, tunes and vibes from my era which left their mark on me and many others.That music there made me realise who I was, and the power struggle going on through the 70's.AM: So what has changed?And to me, this is an appropriate outlook.As we trod along through our musical journey, we want to draw people together, regardless of colour, because it's so simple that it's a universal strength that we should be dealing with, a coming together.If a man has a wicked heart, a wicked intention, it closes down communication, bringing defensiveness to the fore, whereas to us, it's about unity, breaking down the barriers that society builds up.Music has a natural vibe of goodness.I'm a man from the 70's you know, and at that time, we could clearly see what was wrong with society and it was this consciousness that led us to unity.We run bass and drum music workshops here in the community you know?The scope of Falasha and Aba Shanti is much wider than people know.As you know, at the time of the diaspora, 12 tribes were exiled out of Israel.Biblical reading tells us this.They were in fact, located in Ethiopia; the elders could read Semitic texts, and practised ancient sacred ritual.Falasha means outsider, or outcast.Many of the Falasha tribe have been wiped out over the centuries, but they survive, they live on.One of our mottoes is, "hear the music, feel the vibe!"And this vibe is actually an ancient thing: Check the Biblical Psalms, which are the original blues, these are supplications for guidance, and a deep meditation!Solomon was a man of Wisdom.In a lot of other royal dynasties, the world over, you'll find that in a large majority of cases their lineage is not based on a historical lineage which emphasises spiritual truth, no, on the contrary: A closer study often reveals a heritage based on robbery, domination and corrupt exploitation.So, I would say this, don't read an abridged or selective translation of The Bible, read it as it is.Only a few words mistranslated or edited can lead you astray.AM: What is your view on this Blood, where do you derive spiritual inspiration from?BS: Well, as for me, I'm a man who has experienced everything through my livity, what I have experienced and lived through, and it is that over and above everything else which gives me knowledge of right and wrong.So my insight comes from reality.AM: Who do you rate in London and Jamaica these days?Jamaica and in England with regards to the whole music scene, whether it's funk , or r n' b, soul or reggae, is an endless dividing and categorising into lots of separate boxes, which ultimately, divides people too!You don't gain anything by this division!AM: What mental processes go into deciding how a heavy dub should sound and what state of mind produces their surreal sound when you go about working on a dub plate?Listen to distinctive, original artists from any genre, including reggae, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Parker, or reggae drummers like Sly or Santa, what you hear immediately is their signature, so you know it's them in an instant.Same way with us: When we cut our dubs, what you hear is something captured in time, there is no absolute theoretical "right or wrong" in terms of the sound.The sound and vibe goes beyond that.Can you tell me more about how you view the role of sound system, and the heritage you are continuing?Sound system informs and educates the listener.Check out tunes like "Niney the Observer" and Dennis Brown's "Tenement Yard"!AM: I know that "King of The Zulu Tribe" Jah Shaka donates a lot of his money from sound system towards projects in Africa such as hospitals, schools and I believe aid towards disabled people in Ghana and the such like.BS: Working towards preservation of this planet in it's natural state is important to us, and we've held a lot of sound system sessions where the proceeds go towards protection and preservation of rain forest areas.Look, the inhumanity done by man to man in our collective history is endless.HL: I don't believe the implications and results of slavery have ever been fully analysed or even fully apologised for, in the public, governmental or political arenas.BS: There's a lot of people out there who don't care to think about or investigate these things deeply, because a lot of them don't even view what happened historically as wrong!HL: African people were free labour for the building of Britain's empire.It was indigenous people all over the globe.If people had bothered to educate themselves and striven to enlighten themselves humanely, politically, spiritually, these vampire like activities might never have taken place on such a scale on this earth.Until recently, you couldn't even find a truthful account of black history in library books!So the bottom line is this: any culture that doesn't give due respect to somebody else's culture or way of life is never going to see that anything they do, or have done, to those people, is wrong.Power and violence based on illusion, and the weakest have always suffered.The true reason why the fight back is taking place is white washed, avoided, twisted by the powers that control the media.Events are presented to the public in the way the dominant powers desire them to be viewed.Truth is constantly obscured by clever manipulation.People have to see this game taking place!Please, educate yourselves to get to the roots; to read between the lines when you are bombarded by the media.He loves Dadaism, conscious music and literature, and, of course, very loud bass.Each time
a new issue is posted, we'll let you know.Aba used to deejay Jah Tubby's sound system and at that time he was known as Jasmine Joe.When Joe embraced the Rastafarian faith he adopted a new and more positive attitude and with his rediscovered faith a new name.We don't segregate, we integrate.The vibe that Aba generates has brought him to the attention of the media on a worldwide basis and he has been the subject of numerous articles in domestic and foreign magazines.Europe on a number of occasions to bring the vibe to a larger audience.It was a dark and rainy winter evening.Anyone who has witnessed Aba Shanti and full crew will testify to the gut rearranging force of the sound.Standing near the speaker stacks, it is like a wind, moving towards you.It hints at a solemnity present in the most sacred of music.Some Dreads were coolly talking, and playing dominos in the corner.We spoke for a while in the community centre, and then retired to the smoky darkness of Shanti studio, famed internationally for its production of awesome dub plates, thundering subterranean spiritually committed bass anthems, to carry out the interview .Humble Lion was a thoughtful figure: sharp, erudite, a quick thinker.He came across as being straightforward and direct, solid as a rock.We drank and ate in the calm darkness of the studio, which became misty with spirals of heady smoke as time passed.Ultimately, people who are like us, who hold similar attitudes, will gravitate towards us, because we are aiming for the same virtues that they are, and this creates a something a lot better than what society stands for.For example, we can watch Buddhist monks set themselves alight: People watch this on a screen and it means nothing.We can extend the same principle further, to children being destroyed by weapons.Through our meditations and reasonings, we have come to terms with ourselves, have come to know ourselves.This is what song writing is about: the essence of being able to capture your emotions, and put them into words.Another important aspect for me is this: Mentally, and in actions, how does one focus on the good and diminish the bad?Well, we know where we have come from, we know where we are today, and we know where we want to go.Music can make someone cry; move them to tears of joy or sadness.That trigger of emotion is the essence of true music.In reggae music now, you have a oneness of expression, dark and light unified, black and white working together.England, with inner city vibes.Actually, when we create music we reflect and echo what we see all around us, from the point at which we wake up every morning and look around us: When I go outside, I see city smoke everywhere, traffic, darkness, no birds, no trees, no nature.As I see it, reggae music here in UK is progressing out of that heavy drum and bass steppers rhythm, into very sophisticated and futuristic sound collages.My influences are still Studio One, Channel one, classic vibes, straight to the heart.Aswad were outstanding at that time, and those sophisticated rhythms left everyone else behind.So, that was music from my time, tunes and vibes from my era which left their mark on me and many others.Rastafari was looked upon as a black element, and there was a strong unity between the youths in this area, this area where I was born and raised.Well, I have to say that now it is not only the black youths who are suffering in this land, so to me, increasingly, the true inner meaning of Rasta is not concerned with colour.And to me, this is an appropriate outlook.Our music has a meditative, reflective, and moving towards a spiritually higher concept.We run bass and drum music workshops here in the community you know?The scope of Falasha and Aba Shanti is much wider than people know.Q: Your record label is called Falasha: What does the word mean to Aba Shanti?Biblical reading tells us this.Many of the Falasha tribe have been wiped out over the centuries, but they survive, they live on.And this vibe is actually an ancient thing: Check the Biblical Psalms, which are the original blues, these are supplications for guidance, and a deep meditation.King David was a righteous man, a musician (he played a harp and is believed to have composed the majority of The Biblical Psalms) and dancer, who never stopped praising his creator, meditating day and night, chanting his supplications.As a Rasta sound system, how do you see the Bible?Well, The Bible as a book of wisdom and insight is a book of guidance, but I stress, that I consider the Maccabee Bible to be the authoritative version.The Bible, read it as it is.Besides that, great figures such as Malcolm X influenced me: he had no choice but to educate himself, and through that he gained a conscious perspective and spiritual wisdom.Jungle is from the same roots and culture source..It depends a lot on our emotion at the time of working on the dub, whether we are happy or sad, thoughtful or positive, in a mood of upliftment.Then, as the listener, where is your head at the time of hearing the piece?Sound system aims to achieve these two goals.If we can include them in what we are doing, we will do so.Jah Shaka donates a lot of his money from sound system towards projects in Africa such as hospitals, schools and I believe aid towards disabled people in Ghana and the such like.In America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, genocide was implemented.Same old story : What was theirs has been taken, and they are being herded out whilst their place of origination and beauty is being destroyed.If people had bothered to educate themselves and striven to enlighten themselves humanely, politically, spiritually, these vampire like activities might never have taken place on such a scale on this earth.You might find a limited account in a reference book or encyclopaedia, but even these were typically euro centric and condescending.Violent acts carried out on others can be justified by the doers if they consider themselves to be of a superior race or ideology.Power and violence based on illusion, and the weakest have always suffered.Events are presented to the public in the way the dominant powers desire them to be viewed.Truth is constantly obscured by clever manipulation.People have to see this game taking place!Reason within, and see the truth for yourselves.It was a dark and rainy winter evening.Standing near the speaker stacks, it is like a wind,
moving towards you.It's a bodily experienced movement, and the spirituality
of the dub plate specials is inherent in the sound.Vibes were good, and uplifting.Jesus had died in Egypt (Revelations
Chapter 11, verse 8).African Head Charge, Sugar Minnot, Johnny Clarke, I Jahman Levi,
was concerned more specifically with the sound mechanics and musical vibes.He came across as being straightforward and direct, solid as a rock.An alert thinker, Humble Lion speaks quickly, his thought
jumping from subject to subject.What kind of people check out Aba Shanti sound system, and how do you
view the moral motivation behind what Aba Shanti do?People watch this on a screen and
it means nothing.Still, reality doesnt hit home; it means nothing.How do you go about putting together a song, lyrically
and musically?Actually, the process is beyond words
alone.It's not always strictly a logical process.Well, we know where we have come from, we know where
we are today, and we know where we want to go.If a man can't visualise
his goals, internally and externally, then it's like walking in the desert.To us, music is music you know: the heart of music touches you, makes
a person feel something deeply, beyond words, internally and externally.This is what is happening right here now in the U.Blood: I was born in England, with inner city
vibes.So many artists strive for a Jamaican sound, or an American
sound, but I feel that is the wrong road for UK artists to take.UK is progressing out of that heavy drum and bass steppers rhythm, into
very sophisticated and futuristic sound collages.Jamaican root and tradition, even though
we have diversified to reflect our condition.One, classic vibes, straight to the heart.The mighty 2 at Joe Gibbs.Do you know some of those artists were
only paid about 60 dollars per session?Fredlocks and Aswad were wicked too, I have to name check
Love and Only Love, and Warrior Charge.ALL the other roots music
going on.Aswad were outstanding at that time, and those sophisticated
rhythms left everyone else behind.Our music has a meditative, reflective vibe and it is moving towards
a spiritually higher concept.I've heard you do a lot of work within your community, can you tell us
more?The scope of Falasha and Aba Shanti is much wider than people know.Humble Lion: Well, yes Falasha
has deep significance for us.Biblical reading tells us this.Where was the lost tribe
of Israel?One of our mottoes is, hear the music, feel the vibe!The Bible, read it as
it is.What is your view on this Blood, where do you derive spiritual inspiration
from?Santa, what you hear immediately is their signature, so you
know it's them in an instant.The sound and vibe
goes beyond that.Sound system aims to achieve these two goals.Right from its roots in Jamaica, it has always been this way, communicating
stories of experience, from the heart.Check out tunes like Niney
the Observer and Dennis Browns Tenement Yard!Aba Shanti sound system, so we encourage people to contribute
art work, poetry or lyrics to us.If we can include them in what we are
doing, we will do so.When I last attended one of your sound system session dances, I
believe the money was being contributed to protection of the rainforests.Here, in Europe and in America.It wasn't only African people who suffered.South America where the people's natural way of life is being methodically
eroded.Same old story: What was theirs has been taken, and they are being
herded out whilst their place of origination and beauty is being destroyed.America and Europe has been largely
considered as insignificant, as if it didnt really matter.Power and violence based on illusion, and the weakest have
always suffered.The true reason why the fight back is taking place is whitewashed,
avoided, twisted by the powers that control the media.Truth is constantly obscured by clever manipulation.All images were taken by The Humble Lion
and are the copyright of Falasha Recordings.This album represents the first in a series of dub albums which will build into a
collection which has an underlying theme;each album will have a subtitle of 'Verse'.SO HEAR THE MUSIC AND FEEL THE VIBE!Packaging:
12 track Compact Disc In standard jewel box.This a mixture of rhythmic tribal drum patterns and heavy bass lines, which are blended
with intricate melodies to produce an enthused and uplifting musical experience.Packaging:
12 track Compact Disc In standard jewel box.Falasha Recordings are please to announce the next instalment in the continuing Dub saga
which has now reached verse III.I, bending the sounds on the mixing board as only he can.Long Player in standard sleeve.
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