ONE DUB to Satchi DubWorks

ONE DUB

to Satchi DubWorks

The Jamaican national motto is 'Out Of Many, One People': when I think of Satchi, we could paraphrase it to, 'Out Of Selection, One Dub'.

When we think of UK Roots and its provision, we tend to think of those of African descent and of white heritage, but Asia makes its contribution too: such as that of Satchi Singh. Coming from Southall, an area with a long history in Roots Reggae; such as the mid 70s activism, of Misty in Roots and the People Unite collective.

Sound systems too; from Jah Observer to APS, but most widely associated with the Jah Shaka sessions, at the Tudor Rose. An area where all the communities came to the dance – Rasta, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian - in the spirit of the Rock Against Racism campaign, that the aforementioned Misty in Roots, were so much a part of.


Come in, come in,
Satchi Singh.
'Cause you come with culture,
Not with the bling.


Through his DubWorks – founded in 2000 - productions and promotions, Satchi continues that tradition, of involvement for all. When we look at Jamaica, we often fail to recognise the contribution of the Chinese-Jamaicans, to its cultural treasure chest.

Let's take a few moments here, to mention a few. Tony Chin, guitarist with Soul Syndicate, one of the great backing bands; Mikey Chung, another guitarist, who played with figues such as Peter Tosh and Jacob Miller: his brother, keyboardist and producer, Geoffrey Chung, who produced singers such as Pablo Moses and I JahMan Levi; and Lesley Kong, who produced 'Judge Not': the debut of the sixteen year old Bob Marley. Out of Many, One People.


Come in, come in,
Satchi Singh.
Give thanks for DubWorks,
For what you bring.


Anchored in the roots tradition, Satchi is a fan of the music of Mikey Dread, Don Carlos, Jah Shaka and Aba Shanti, amongst others. It is the latter that he promotes: like last night at Sub 89, a venue in Reading. And in his DubWorks studio, he creates his own. There are snippets on YouTube, ready for your listening. My two favourites are 'Smile': a sweet fusion of studio skill and the voice of Autonomous Queen; and 'Essence': a bassier number, with some lovely keyboard coming through.


Come in, come in,
Satchi Singh.
We support your flight,
On unity's wing.


Yes, Satchi. As Joseph Hoo Kim worked with Horace Andy, you work work with Aba-Shanti. Let what the elders began in Chaggars Hall and Southall Community Centre continue. Let us remember and salute, the community activism of Misty in Roots. Salute Southall. Out of Many, One People; Out of Selection, One Dub.

                                                                                      (c) Natty Mark Samuels, 2016, The Dub.


NATTY MARK SAMUELS - CONTACTS:
Natty Mark Samuels
Social Media: Facebook
Email: bantudub06@gmail.com
Blog: www.africanschool-africa.blogspot.com
THE DUB MAGAZINE: https://issuu.com/thedub

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Celebrating the early Black journalists and roots reggae songwriters
written by Natty Mark on Reggaediscography