Moa~Anbessa~Sounds

About Marcus~I~Yah

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Three bredren link up inna Chicago for one reason!!!!!!!!. To mash up the dance. Started in Chicago around 99 and have spread the sound to places like New York, Brasil, Korea, and Europe. Much more too come and many more countries to Bless. StranJah starting listening to reggae in his early years, showing a strong interest for Rocksteady and early Ska tunes. His first album owned was in a double cassette format entitled ?Ska Bonanza?, then came various cassettes such as ?1000 Volts Of Holt?, ?Holy Ground? compiled by Alvin Ranglin, and a few mixed cassettes handed down to him by friends of friends. He and fellow selector Jahneek used to make mix tapes for one another of the various Rocksteady hits the other did not have. It wasn?t until he moved to Chicago that he started looking for these titles on wax. While living in Chicago, StranJah started selecting at a bar called Vertigo on Sunday nights. The night was simply called Original DJ Classics (although Rocksteady tunes were not at fault) with a weekly performance by classic Jamaican deejay Papa Syd. Also selecting during that night was Marcus Iyah (then known as Marcus B), and Fuego Tha Burnah serving up an hour of crucial hip-hop instrumentals to close the evening. Marcus, a Rasta at heart and a serious conscious reggae enthusiast, has been listening & collecting reggae music for close to 20 years. His first reggae album was ?Reggae Sunsplash ?81, Tribute to Bob Marley? which started the fire in his heart to follow the Roots & Culture side of reggae. When he moved to Chicago in 1995 he continued to collect roots and culture and advanced toward modern conscious roots & early dancehall. Marcus could regularly be heard selecting the roots section on WLUW 88.7FM during Slacky J?s Reggae Vibes Show, continuing to push positive music to the Chicago massive. Along the same timeline JB was then selecting on Sundays at a venue called Subterranean where he was playing classic hip-hop cuts and the then latest dancehall hits. JB was introduced to reggae music in the mid 90?s when he began to realize the close connection between hip-hop and Jamaican culture. While listening and collecting hip hop records, the inspiration drawn from Jamaican music became very apparent in the hip-hop that he was listening to. This led JB into an exploration into the ?Roots? of hip-hop and DJ?ing. JB began building his collection with modern roots tunes. Artists like Sizzla Kalonji, Capelton, Anthony B, and Luciano were starting to fill his crates. The modern roots sounds of these artists then sparked his interest in learning about the origin of the rhythms being remade by those artists. The vault of tunes then began to grow even larger with classic Studio One, Treasure Isle, and Channel One selections to name a few. Eventually the three linked and it was a perfect junction. Their first weekly event together took place every Sunday at Subterranean in Chicago. This is where StranJah, Marcus, and JB really began to grow as a sound. The selections served up by each one of them offered its own unique vibe, adding to the overall energy they wished to create. The night also included sessions with dj/singer Jah Scoob and friends on the mic. This vibe was then spread to other clubs in Chicago like Lava Lounge, Caf? Lura, The Note, Danny?s, Sonotheque and many others. Moa Anbessa Sound System united in Chicago and spread conscious roots, and dancehall reggae music to the massive there, but now the three selectors have moved away, but have not left the sound behind. StranJah now regularly travels to Jamaica in search of records. His travels there have helped him to make some solid connections with many big names in the business. He has built a strong friendship with Chester Synmoie, Lone Ranger?s personal friend and manager, and started meeting a large number of artists. Bouncing around the many studios in Kingston has allowed him the opportunity to work with artists like Lone Ranger, John Wayne, John Holt, Jim Nastic, Sancho Man, Quench Aid, Super Black, Sketelina, Duck Man, and Courtney Melody to name a good few. Digging mostly for the tunes he still hopes to find, and grabbing more obscure records for the Moa Anbessa chest, he is also stacking up records at his new home in Sao Paulo. Now settled in Brazil, StranJah is happy to share with the massive various styles of reggae they have never been exposed to. In 2003, Marcus brought the Moa Anbessa Sound to Asia, South Korea. He threw monthly bashments called, ?Welcome to the Dance?, at Elvis bar and Santa Fe bars for foreigners along side Koreans, bringing cultures together in harmony through reggae music. Marcus will be returning to Korea to continue strengthening the Moa Anbessa front in Asia by planning future dances in cities like Seoul, Gwangju and Busan to ensure the Korean Republic is secure with Moa Anbessa Sounds. Moving to Brooklyn in 2003 helped JB expand his collection even more and his links with many other selectors and singers began to grow. He has done studio work with legendary singer Johnny Osbourne, and Kandiman. JB has also been holding down a residence at Bembe every Tuesday night called Natural Selections, a night of Rocksteady, Roots, Dub and Reggae Classics. This evening has seen guests artists like Kandiman, Fragga Ranks, Mr. Lee G, General Pecos, and Juakali coming thru to bless up the mic and keep the people bubbling. StranJah, JB, and Marcus Iyah all came from different backgrounds which has made Moa Anbessa Sound what it is today: a pure explosion of classics and rare cuts ranging from the early years to some of today?s number one hits. Influenced by the early sound systems such as Coxsone, Jack Ruby, Wha Dat Disco, Gemini, Downbeat, Metro Media, Stereo Mars, or even Kilimanjaro to name a few, it is a sure shot that Moa Anbessa Sounds is no tin-pan sound. The vault is vast, the blends are bright, and the vibe is right

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