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Earl Gateshead Shares Reggae Music Through Innovative Podmixing in ‘The Huge Reggae Show’

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The Huge Reggae Show

Reggae DJ Earl Gateshead has launched a new monthly podmix ‘The Huge Reggae Show’ on SoundCloud. The series are being released monthly with the twelfth instalment having launched on Monday, 12th of September 2022. The podcast, which Gateshead refers to as a ‘Podmix’, was created with the idea to spread knowledge of Reggae as a way of giving people access to the music and to explain the details of the music in an entertaining and non-judgemental way.Already a well-established name in the UK Reggae Music scene, Earl Gateshead’s career began in the late 70s, when he built his own Sound System, one of the first built by a European. He installed it at the world famous Dive Bar, in Soho, London where he had a 23-year weekly residency. Alongside this, Earl was the co-founder and selector for Trojan Sound System, The Sound System of Trojan Records, the world’s leading and best loved Reggae label, and one he toured with for 14 years. Additionally, mysterious graffiti artist Banksy asked Earl to DJ the first three exhibitions of his work. To this day, Earl is the only DJ that Banksy has ever worked with.Following his residency at Dive Bar, Earl began to organise and perform at a series of events called “Reggae Nights” at seminal London club “Plastic People.” This series of concerts received worldwide attention with legendary performances from Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Sugar Minott to name a few. The success of his “Reggae Nights” series boosted Earl’s career, making him one of the must-see Reggae DJs in the world. Subsequently, he was invited to lecture on Reggae DJing at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy.The ‘Podmix’ is created to bring out a listener’s own spirituality which Gateshead believes is lacking in more Western cultures and he aims to do this through Reggae music, as he believes it is rooted in human spirituality. Through ‘The Huge Reggae Show’ Gateshead states: “My intention is to share my own feelings about Reggae Music, in the hope that others may feel it too. The music here is entirely positive. It’s all about helping people who struggle in life. To provide comfort and support to those that find it difficult to live in our current society. That could be anybody of any colour, race or religion.”Earl Gateshead had a series of shows this Summer, with appearances at Boomtown Fair, Outlook and Lindisfarne. Follow his social media to keep up to date with the tour and podmix.

No stranger to the music industry, Earl has spread his artistry in a variety of ways. A residency at the prestigious Dive Bar, co-founding Trojan Sound System, one of the biggest reggae labels in the world and various appearances at major music festivals in the world such as Boomtown Fair, Victorious Festival and Lindisfarne to name a few.

We Speak Electronic

Aaron Koenig Releases Ska Anthem for Geeks

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Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!

His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.

“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”

The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:

“I just want to entertain people and make them a bit happier.”– Aaron King.

Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.

“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.

“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”

Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.

Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/


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