A seminal force in the American ska & reggae scene, KING DJANGO has made his name internationally as a singer, ragamuffin MC, songwriter, arranger, instrumentalist (trombone, ukulele, harmonica, melodica, etc.), producer, studio engineer and record label owner (Stubborn Records).
On his newest album “Roots Tonic,” Django has enlisted an all-star cast of NYC’s finest ska/reggae veterans. The result: twelve crucial roots reggae cuts utilizing tuff original riddims covering a wide range of styles including dark, sultry lovers rock, militant rockers, crisp rub-a-dub deejay, psychedelic dub and even niyabinghi, complex lyrical structures, and combinations with Rocker T and Dr Ring Ding. Musically, “Roots Tonic” harkens back to the positive, political reggae of the late 70’s / early 80’s spearheaded by legendary imprints Island, Frontline, Trojan, Heartbeat, On-U Sound and Greensleeves. That was a time when songwriting was key, conscious lyrics reigned supreme and reggae music was live and full of soul. “Dancehall” was in its infancy and still resembled reggae, unlike its mostly American hip-hop and R&B influences today. So sit back, take a heavy drink – its 100% organic -- and soak up reggae’s energy, strength, and soul with our cure-all: KING DJANGO’s “Roots Tonic” on JUMP UP/Stubborn Records (USA)/Bacteria Buffet Records (Canada)/Ska In The World Records (Japan)!
King Django always keeps busy and always has a surprise or two up his sleeve. Drawing on such diverse influences as roots reggae, dancehall, ska, rock, soul, swing, and American and Yiddish folk music, he has always been a hard man to pigeonhole. His versatility within genres of punk, rhythm & blues, and Jamaican grooves is unmatched, starting early as the singer / trombonist of legendary NYC ska band The Boilers (1986-1988), evolving through reggae/soul/punk/jazz experimentalists Skinnerbox (1989-1998), and achieving mainstream recognition as the founder and leader of traditional ska supergroup Stubborn All-Stars (1994-1999). After the ska revival died down, King Django was able to devote his full energy to solo material: "Roots and Culture" (Triple Crown Records, 1998) combined ska, reggae and traditional klezmer music; while "Reason" (Hellcat / Epitaph, 2001) was an adventurous, eclectic self-produced album of rock deeply grounded in roots-reggae, dancehall, hip-hip, and drum and bass. In late 2003, King Django headed to Switzerland to record “King Django Meets The Scrucialists,” unleashing twelve brilliant slices of political roots reggae, rockers, dub, lovers rock, ska and dancehall, including two combinations with German ska/dancehall superstar Dr. Ring Ding.
In 2003 and 2004, Django
hit the road in support of three releases on three different independent
labels. A
Single Thread, an 11-year career retrospective, which saw release
in three countries (Megalith Records, USA/Ska In The
World, Japan/Leech,
King Django
has toured internationally many times over as a solo artist, as the leader
of Skinnerbox and Stubborn All Stars and as trombonist for Rancid, The Toasters, and
legendary
At present,
Django spends a lot of time recording and producing many bands in many genres
in his relocated
Feb/March 2006 - European tour - headlining 27 dates
November/Dec 2005 - Southeast/Midwest US
September
2005 - 6 Headlining and
February/March
2005 - Headlining 9 dates backed by 10-piece Swiss band “Open Season”
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy and France.
Also sound-system appearances with Dr. Ring Ding in Kassel, Germany and Barcelona,
Spain. Numerous recording sessions in Germany, Hungary and Switzerland. Southeast
USA dates. Finished work on King Django Roots Tonic album.
August 2004 through January 2005 – Sound System appearances in Puerto Rico. Northeast USA and eastern Canada dates. In the studio working on two new albums (King Django Roots Tonic and the followup to King Django’s Roots & Culture), as well as producing regional and national bands.
July 2004
– SKA MOB 2004 Part Two (Northern US & British Columbia) – 12 dates with
Dr Ring Ding & Eastern Standard Time
June
2004 –
March
2004 – Transatlantic Sound Clash (England) – 8 dates with Pama International
Jan. 2004 - SKA MOB 2004 (US East Coast/Midwest) – 18 dates with Dr Ring Ding
& Eastern Standard Time
June 2003 – Transatlantic Dancehall Clash (Europe) – 23 dates with Dr Ring
Ding & The Scrucialists
"If
you've spent more than a minute on the ska scene, you'll know that [he's]
the original