The bonds between Jamaican-rooted music and modern electronic music are evident with an even a cursory comparison between the two. There might be no one bringing Rasta culture to electronic music like the UK jungle legend CONGO NATTY. One of the most recognizable and powerful names in jungle, Congo Natty continues the Jamaican tradition of creating music about perseverance, struggle, and love in the face of injustice. With the belief that jungle is the roots reggae for this new century we find ourselves in, Congo Natty's music is fuelled by the need and pull to bring the principals of Rasta to the people. The music is unrelenting, full of righteous anger and professions of religious fervour, delivered with sweet reggae hooks, deep bass and rapid-fire drum breaks. Congo Natty sets have become the stuff of legend, uniting dancefloors with a purpose like few acts today can. Come see this titan of jungle music debut in Victoria!
Congo Natty will be joined by west coast legend in his own right. For nearly two decades, STICKYBUDS has built a reputation as one of the most storied party-rockers on this planet or any other. A favourite of festivals of all genres around the globe, his sets have delighted electronic music enthusiasts and won over new fans wherever he's gone. His unique blend of funk, drum n' bass, jungle, hip-hop, breaks, glitch-hop and whatever else groovy that grabs his ear, means there's something for almost every music fan when Stickybuds is in control. This is a man who loves Jamaican-rooted music, one of the most knowledgeable ears around and you can expect some incredible deep cuts and fresh mixes brought to you with unmatched style and energy.
Our good friend and one of the most talented DJs our city has seen in years, JENNAY BADGER will also be joining us for this Friday party as she'll kicking things off and keeping our feet moving before, between and after Stickybuds and Congo Natty. Growing up in the diverse, fertile musical culture that is Vancouver Island, Jennay Badger has a deep knowledge of a seemingly endless array of genres, as well as the ability and creativity to find links between those genres, blending them up however the mood demands
Fri Jun 23 2023
9:00 PM
$45.39 - $46.94
All Ages
Share With Friends
VICTORIA BC SKA & REGGAE SOCIETY
Victoria's 24th Annual Ska & Reggae Festival - Congo Natty, Stickybuds, Jennay Badger
-
Congo Natty
Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass
Michael Alec Anthony West (born 27 August 1964 in Islington, London, England), better known as Rebel MC and Congo Natty, is a British jungle producer and toaster. He has also gone by aliases including Conquering Lion, Blackstar, Tribe of Issachar, Lion of Judah, X Project and Ras Project. In the late 1980s, CONGO NATTY formed the group Double Trouble with Michael Menson, Karl Brown (more commonly known as the UK garage DJ Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown) and Leigh Guest. This would lead to two hip house records reaching the UK Top 40 in 1989 - "Just Keep Rockin'" followed by "Street Tuff". The latter reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. These would appear shortly after on his debut album “Rebel Music”.
In 1991, CONGO NATTY released his second album, Black Meaning Good, which combined his former hip house and pop-rap influences with a stronger reggae and breakbeat edge. The album featured notable reggae and dancehall artists such as Barrington Levy, Tenor Fly and Dennis Brown. Singles released from the album included "The Wickedest Sound", "Comin' On Strong", and "Tribal Base" - to which their breakbeat hardcore and reggae fusion would give rise to an early precursor to the jungle sound.
His third album, Word, Sound and Power, released in 1992, was a further exploration of mixing up breakbeat hardcore, house, reggae and hip hop, with two singles "Rich Ah Getting Richer" and "I Can't Get No Sleep" released from it.Whilst West was enjoying further commercial success with "Tribal Base" featuring Barrington Levy and Tenor Fly, he was also experimenting with white label releases on his X Project label. The first of these would be "Walking in the Air" (which contains samples from The Snowman track), followed by a further five releases which by this time were jungle.
CONGO NATTY is often noted for having popularised the term "jungle". In the book Energy Flash by Simon Reynolds, MC Navigator of Kool FM is quoted as saying: "Rebel got this chant – 'all the junglists' - from a yard-tape" (referring to the sound system tapes from Kingston, Jamaica). "When Rebel sampled that, the people cottoned on, and soon they started to call the music 'jungle'".
In 1994, CONGO NATTY converted to Rastafari. As Conquering Lion, he would release a classic jungle track "Code Red", with vocals from Super Cat. This was picked up for major release by Mango Records. This was then followed by the equally massive "Champion DJ" (featuring Top Cat) and "Junglist" (featuring Peter Bouncer), both released on his Congo Natty label that would be prolific in the mid-1990s to early 2000s.
In 2013, CONGO NATTY returned with the album Jungle Revolution, featuring the likes of General Levy, Top Cat, Tippa Irie, Tenor Fly, and Nanci Correia. And in 2022, CONGO NATTY released is latest album "Athos Jungle Defender".
-
Stickybuds
Dance
From the funky depths of the Canadian West, Tyler Martens has been touring the world and releasing exceptional music for over a decade.
Renowned for his skills on both the turntables and in the studio, Stickybuds has become one of Western Canada's finest exports, performing live in over 25 countries and growing. His ever impressive list of touring accolades includes acclaimed venues and festivals such as Burning Man, Shambhala, Envision, “We Love Space" Ibiza, Boomtown, and Glastonbury Festival.
As a resident of Canada's Shambhala Music Festival for the last 15 years, he's honed his unique DJ-style of mashing genres, acapellas and tempo changes with live turntablism and impeccable music selections. Celebrated annually by fans around the world, his Shambhala mixes released every summer showcase the best of Sticky's incredible ability to blend elements of funk, reggae, drum n’ bass and broken beats, all reworked and edited with exclusive acapellas, original productions, and sought-after custom VIPs.
As a DJ, Producer, and Educator, Tyler has dedicated his life to sharing his passion of music. When global touring came to a halt in early 2020, Sticky launched "The Different Strains Show" - a new weekly live stream broadcast every Wednesday on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook to his fans around the world, further cementing his impact as a leading tastemaker and positive icon in the worldwide DJ community.
-
Jennay Badger
Dance
Based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Jennay Badger has established herself as an innovative and multifaceted DJ with a deep well of passion. Notorious for hip-hop samples, disco thumpers and deep bass, Badger pulls musical inspiration from every corner of the electronic and live music worlds.
Her genre-defying live shows evoke bliss with an infectious energy that get you moving and leave you sweating, smiling, and begging for more.
Jennay Badger began her career DJing up and down Vancouver Island in the mid 2000s, playing
outdoor shows & later evolving to clubs in 2014. She has performed at major BC festivals such as
Rifflandia, Cumberland Wild, Laketown Shakedown, The Phillips Backyard Weekender and Song & Surf.
In 2019 she moved to Vancouver and quickly stepped onto the scene, performing at the legendary Red Room with Vancouver's foremost purveryors of big-time bass, Digital Motions crew. Victoria is where she cut her teeth and became a full-time DJ/Dancer and music enthusiast. In 2017 she went on to form the body-positive & gender-inclusive dance collective Influx – proving she is not only a powerhouse DJ,but a true entertainer and innovator.
Whether its 1AM in the club or performing a chilled out afternoon festival slot, when Badger is in performance mode, its hard not to recognize her unique selection & undeniable stage presence. After releasing various mixtapes – highlighted by her acclaimed snapsforbae series – Badger has clearly expanded her arsenal as she expands into the realm of production. Badger's journey has only just started and with big heart, charisma, flair and the drive to back it, you can bet that she’s gonna berocking a stage near you real soon.
Victoria's 24th Annual Ska & Reggae Festival - Congo Natty, Stickybuds, Jennay Badger
$45.39 - $46.94 All Ages
The bonds between Jamaican-rooted music and modern electronic music are evident with an even a cursory comparison between the two. There might be no one bringing Rasta culture to electronic music like the UK jungle legend CONGO NATTY. One of the most recognizable and powerful names in jungle, Congo Natty continues the Jamaican tradition of creating music about perseverance, struggle, and love in the face of injustice. With the belief that jungle is the roots reggae for this new century we find ourselves in, Congo Natty's music is fuelled by the need and pull to bring the principals of Rasta to the people. The music is unrelenting, full of righteous anger and professions of religious fervour, delivered with sweet reggae hooks, deep bass and rapid-fire drum breaks. Congo Natty sets have become the stuff of legend, uniting dancefloors with a purpose like few acts today can. Come see this titan of jungle music debut in Victoria!
Congo Natty will be joined by west coast legend in his own right. For nearly two decades, STICKYBUDS has built a reputation as one of the most storied party-rockers on this planet or any other. A favourite of festivals of all genres around the globe, his sets have delighted electronic music enthusiasts and won over new fans wherever he's gone. His unique blend of funk, drum n' bass, jungle, hip-hop, breaks, glitch-hop and whatever else groovy that grabs his ear, means there's something for almost every music fan when Stickybuds is in control. This is a man who loves Jamaican-rooted music, one of the most knowledgeable ears around and you can expect some incredible deep cuts and fresh mixes brought to you with unmatched style and energy.
Our good friend and one of the most talented DJs our city has seen in years, JENNAY BADGER will also be joining us for this Friday party as she'll kicking things off and keeping our feet moving before, between and after Stickybuds and Congo Natty. Growing up in the diverse, fertile musical culture that is Vancouver Island, Jennay Badger has a deep knowledge of a seemingly endless array of genres, as well as the ability and creativity to find links between those genres, blending them up however the mood demands
Share With Friends