The eclectic legacy of Jamaican music has continued to create a wide
variety of new musical impulses over the last five decades. Whether Ska,
Reggae, Dub or Dancehall - the small Caribbean island has continually
produced entirely new genres of music that reflect the struggles, successes
and great ingenuity of its people. Inspired by new production technologies
and cultural shifts, Jamaican music never ceases to bear new fruits. With
their debut album, THE UNLIMITERS have taken up this tradition with the
aim of forging new paths. The eight-piece set from Berlin is largely
inspired by early Ska, a style of music created at the beginning of the
1960s when Calypso merged with Jazz and Rhythm in Blues to form a
unique and home-grown Jamaican sound that is still exemplified by
unforgettable artists such as The Skatalites and Prince Buster.
Another ingredient in the sound of THE UNLIMITERS is the British Ska
reissue, file under "Two-Tone" - with the likes of The Specials, The
Selecter or The Beat – dating from the end of the 1970s and blending the
raw energy of punk and new wave into Jamaican grooves. The vibrant mix
of dance tunes, smart clothing, good humor and anti-rascist politics was a
top ten mainstay for years. THE UNLIMITERS direct their dancing shoes to
the path of the forefathers of Rocksteady and Ska, and they´r up to
continue the enterprise. Driving rhythms meet soulful harmonies meet
instrumentals downtown, uptown and on a grand scale - flavored with a
touch of surf and beat - all in the name of a rude and unlimited lifestyle.
"Hard Times" is the opening track of their debut album, as well as the
lead-off single – reflecting difficult times in a cheerful fashion, because the
"hard times gonna pass you by" - yet "Let It Go" is a completely different
animal of a scorcher. "Extortion" reflects funky 1970s Ethiopia meeting the
Skatalites. "Tough Relations", again, representing the Two-Tone era w/
vocalists Erika and Nathan ironically reflecting everyday conflicts between
people.
THE UNLIMITERS... eight people, eight-and-a-half instruments - teamed
up in Berlin's underground to unleash their smart and bouncing beats and
harmonies to the dancefloor - probably right in your nighborhood, so
watch out!