just a frog that likes to make music wassup

Channel One Sound System are one of the world's best known dub reggae sound systems.  Running for over 40 years, Channel One built up their reputation as one of the main sound systems at Notting Hill Carnival, now they play out every weekend all over the UK and Europe.

Channel One is made up of selector Mikey Dread playing roots reggae and consious steppas, the sound is completed by MC Ras Kayleb.

2010 Channel One Sound System won the Red Bull Culture Clash against Skream + Benga, Goldie's Metalheadz and Souljazz records.

2011 Channel One are about to go on a national tour, funded by the Arts Council, Dub to Jungle..  playing with Congo Natty and Tenor Fly.  Showing the lineage from reggae to jungle.

For bookings please contact Rachel Bevan 07764-996610 rachelchannelone@gmail.com

For Bookings:
info@reggaeroast.co.uk

Reggae Roast, one of the UKs leading Reggae Soundsystems & party starters, have forged a reputation as the leading light in the resurgence of the British Reggae, putting on some of the best parties and festival stages across the country. Having recently signed to the world famous Trojan Records they are at the forefront of the UK Reggae and Bass Music scene.

Reggae Roast’s first release on Trojan, went straight in at #1 on the Juno Reggae charts, while getting good radio support from the likes of David Rodigan (1 Xtra) and Ras Kwarme (Capitol Xtra) and Don Letts (6 Music), while their follow up single ‘Real Reggae Music’ featuring the legendary Tippa Irie, was included in the Trojan Records 50th Anniversary box set, selling thousands of copies. 

2019 will see them pick up were they left off with releases on Trojan Reloaded featuring  General Levy, Rankin Joe, Mr Williamz, Burro Banton, Charlie P and many more.

In 2015 Reggae Roast built their own custom Soundsystem pushing the boundaries of soundsystem aesthetics, taking soundsystem design into the 21st century. Their soundsystem remains the cornerstone of their events and with it they have run stages at prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury, Outlook Festival (Croatia), Secret Garden Party, Eastern Electric, Boomtown, Telerama Dub Festival (France) and many more. 

At their events they have hosted some of the biggest names in Reggae including  Horace Andy, The Wailers, Lee Scratch Perry, Sly and Robbie, Collie Budz, Mad Professor, David Rodigan, Suggs (Madness), Channel One, Trojan Sound, Gappy Ranks, Finley Quaye, Aba Shanti I, Mungo’s Hi Fi and many many more. 

Reggae Roast have built a strong fanbase over the years with nearly 200,000 social media followers. They have racked up over 8 million plays on Soundcloud alone and their monthly podcasts receives 10s of thousands of plays. They have played all over the world from India and Thailand to the UK and back. This year they were personally asked by Shy FX and Chase & Status to play at their events.

Reggae Roast are dedicated to bringing reggae and soundsystem culture to a new generation and are steadily building a formidable catalogue of releases and achievements.

A lot of this is music I've done for film and commercial purposes.  Hire me and I'll do it for you too!
Some of it is me recording my crazy friend Rod Norwood.  Some of it just is...

Independent record label created by Mungo's Hi Fi.

COURSE OF EMPIRE was a five-piece post-punk, tribal industrial, alternative metal group, active between 1988 and 1998. 

Coming out of the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, C.o.E. was one of the top drawing live acts in north Texas at the time.

One thing that was unique about the band was that it had two drummers playing one large drum kit.  

Influenced by The Kodo Drummers of Japan, the band would roll large oil drums out into the audience and distribute drumsticks, inviting the audience to join in. 

Dissolving the invisible boundaries between the performer and audience was an idea that the band thought was applicable to society in general and worth exploring in a live context. 

During a song called “Thrust” everyone would be invited to become a drummer with the band. Anyone could influence the course of the evolving music by introducing a new rhythm or motif. Once at a show in Houston, for example, a sound man lept onstage and took a flute solo during the “drum thing”! 

After “Thrust” ended, the band would kick into “We Got The Beat” by The Go Go’s, which was always crowd favorite.

The sound of everyone hitting the rims of the drums out of time influenced the evolution of another song called “Infested!” which was released on the band’s second album, Initiation.

Unfortunately by the time the group got signed, the “drum thing” with the audience had become too dangerous, because instead of dropping down from the stage to the floor to be played, the drums started getting thrown around by the crowd like beach balls. 

Nevertheless, the band retained the two-drummer approach as a defining stylistic trademark for three albums:

Course Of Empire (Carpe Diem)
Initiation Zoo/BMG (Sony)
Telepathic Last Words TVT (Sony)

The band’s single “The Information” from Telepathic Last Words featured footage from the Alex Proyas sci-fi thriller DARK CITY. 

After a decade of touring and epic shows in Dallas and Austin, the group split in 1998.

On November 18, 2019 beloved Course drummer and Curtain Club sound man Chad Lovell suffered a fall in his home, which left him with a traumatic brain injury. 

As a response, Chad’s former bandmates are now releasing this previously lost, now remastered early recording which features the original five-piece lineup playing live together in the SMU TV Studio. 

All tracks were recorded in a single afternoon, on July 5, 1989, by engineer David Castell live, direct to two-track digital audio tape. 

All songs were recorded in single takes, with no overdubs and no post mix.

This recording captures the band before the first album, when the songwriting was more driven by the concept of putting the drums in the audience.

This new album is called FIELDS OF DISCIPLINE.  It is being offered as a vinyl presale in partnership with Bandwear to support Chad’s family with expenses related to his recovery.

Former Course drummer Michael Jerome Moore has produced official Chad Lovell / C.o.E. signature drumsticks in partnership with Zildjian, also now available.

On Monday 10/25/2021, fans and friends of the band gathered at Club Dada in Deep Ellum to listen to the recording and celebrate the artistic life of Chad Lovell. The evening culminated in an impromptu “drum thing” jam with an audience filled with notable Dallas drummers playing along, showing full support! 

We hope this will be the first of many Love For Lovell events and that a new audience will discover the band’s musical legacy.

All master recordings in this album are owned by Course Of Empire.

All songs composed and published by Course Of Empire except:

“We Got The Beat” by Charlotte Caffey
Universal Music Group - Mgb Songs

For more information, contact:
mikegraffmusic@yahoo.com

Please visit:
https://loveforlovell.com

Please visit the Course Of Empire store:
https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/course-of-empire-shop

Other links:

https://courseofempire.com
https://hallsofthemachine.com
https://mikegraffguitar.com

Strummer is following