Category: Performers
Waymatea and the Highlife Sound Collective (Edmonton)
JUNO Nominated Reggae Singer/Songwriter, founder and front woman of Canada’s Souljah Fyah, Waymatea Ellis is introducing a new Reggae project, Highlife Sound Collective. Featuring some of Edmonton’s finest musicians, Highlife Sound Collective is excited to dive into the Canadian Reggae Scene.
Lynn Olagundoye (Calgary)
Lynn Olagundoye is front and centre among the burgeoning number of funk and soul purveyors in Calgary. A session veteran, Olagundoye marries a seductively smooth voice redolent of ‘70s R&B to a sound that incorporates the best of funk, jazz, Afrobeat, roots-reggae and vintage pop – recalling neo-soul singers like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott.
Jory Kinjo (Calgary)
Jory Kinjo brings a unique history to his music and draws from his experiences playing and performing Soul, Ska, Reggae and Rhythm & Blues all over the world.
Kinjo grew up in Calgary, AB. playing old-school soul music with long-standing soul band, Mocking Shadows. In 1999, he joined the band and warmed the stage for Canadian 3 tours with the B.B. King and other artists such as ZZ Top and Buddy Guy.
Kinjo formed “JK & the Relays” in 2009 and has toured such acts as Fishbone (LA) and the English Beat (UK). JK & the Relays were breakout performers at the 2012 Montreal Ska Festival and the 2013 Victoria Ska Festival.
Phonosonics (Victoria)
Phonosonics is BC’s fastest-emerging Roots Reggae and Rocksteady outfit. Hailing from the island city of Victoria, the project is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist/producer S. Cleave and features some of the island’s top reggae talent. This powerhouse group has performed in club and top-tier festival settings throughout BC. It features soulful harmonies and electrifying danceability in a reverent update of the independence-era early Reggae sound. The band is equally comfortable with original material as with backing up other Reggae acts in styles ranging from first-wave Ska to modern Reggae and Dub.
Delhi 2 Dublin (Vancouver)
Nurtured by equal parts raucous underground bass parties and all ages folk festivals, Delhi 2 Dublin ’s always distinctive sound has evolved over the past decade into its own decisive genre, styled, “Subcontinental Pop”—a name that conveys both its deep South Asian roots and its expansive, crazy-fun appeal. The beautifully supercharged complexity of their sound flows from high-level folk and alternative-pop, blended and delivered across an array of acoustic instruments—dhol, tabla, violin, guitar—and electronic beats——and immersed in smart, heavy, sometimes gritty, and almost invariably joyful beats. Delhi 2 Dublin have the gift of connecting with masses of people, pulverizing their inhibitions, and getting them moving.
Cham (Jamaica)
Cham a.k.a “Baby Cham” (born Damian Beckett on February 24, 1979) is a Grammy Award-nominated Jamaican recording artist, most well known for his 2006 single “Ghetto Story” from his Atlantic Records debut album of the same name. Cham is still called “Baby Cham” by his Jamaican fans and fans from around the world.
“Ghetto Story”, led to multiple “story” songs by other artists in a similar vein. Throughout his career, Cham has collaborated with many hip-hop and R&B artists such as Foxy Brown, Alicia Keys, Carl Thomas, Shawn Mims, Akon, Damian Marley and T-Pain.
Luciano (Jamaica)
A superstar in his native Jamaica, Luciano combines his love of God and beauty into a soulful, spiritual blend of rock and R&B-tinged reggae. Born Jepther McClymont in Davey Town, he began his musical career singing in church and moved to Kingston to pursue music professionally. After McClymont had worked with prominent reggae producers like Herman Chin-Loy and labels like Aquarius and Sky High, Homer Harris of Blue Mountain changed McClymont’s name and he is now known as Luciano,
Ms Paige (Toronto, ON)
Ms Paige (née Ashley Johnson) fuses the soul of R&B with the passion of Caribbean musical genres. Embarking on the Caribbean music scene in 2004, daughter of Canadian recording artist and 6-time Juno nominee, Debbie Johnson, Ms Paige has been a staple in representing Canada on a global scale. Having released over 35 singles to date in both the reggae and soca arenas, she continues to receive international support on the airwaves in several countries. As a singer/songwriter, she received her first award in 2013 for Caribbean Music & Entertainment’s Top Soca Artist. Ms Paige is whole-heartedly dedicated to evolving in her craft and will inevitably leave her own unique musical footprint on the world.
Louie Culture (Jamaica)
Some know him as DJ Louie Culture, as that is the name he entered the music business with, but ever since he scored with his big hit “Gangalee”, Dancehall fans home and abroad have branded him the original “Mr. Gangalee.” He’s very proud to wear this title, not only because he made it popular, but more so, because his belief in the concept of the word “gangalee” has been his main driving force to success.