Sgt. Remo & The Vibratones

At just about two years old, King Remo Sound System is saddled with the responsibility of being San Antonio, Texas’ first point of reference for reggae and dancehall culture. Built from scratch by Mexican-American reggae artist, Sgt Remo, the irie entertainer has found himself in a pioneering position - introducing sound system culture to a space that previously had none.

Sgt. Remo was born in Juarez, Mexico, before migrating to the United States where he entered high school. That’s when he had his first rodeo with island culture. “One of my good friends introduced me to reggae music. At that time, it was early dancehall. 1989 was the first year I heard reggae music and I just fell in love with it. To me, it’s the golden era of dancehall,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks, Supercat and Buju Banton are a some of Sgt. Remo choice references to the ‘golden era’. “It just changed my life. I used to listen to a lot of hip-hop music and a few other things, but from that time on, it was just reggae. I stopped listening to everything else,” he confessed.

He kept searching, learning about more artistes – and keeping up with the new music coming out at the time. Later on, he joined the military, where he made friends — a Jamaican and a Guyanese with similar interests. “So they grew up in that. And me, just being a lover of the music, it was a natural fit. When we started doing music at that time, we were kind of messing around. But we would record,” he said. That was the beginning of Sgt. Remo as an artiste. He has been recording and performing reggae music for over 10 years.

FIRST EP
In 2012, Sgt. Remo released his first EP, Life Is For Living. “Surprisingly to me, it was well-received. Of course, I’m Mexican. I didn’t grow up in Jamaica. So it was odd to people to see me perform. Maybe it was me being different kind of attracted some people. They’ve inspired me to keep going with the music, and it’s grown. I’ve gotten better, I’ve matured as an artiste and performer.”

Sgt. Remo’s connection to Jamaican culture is so deep, he married into it. “My wife is from St Thomas. She has all her family there,” he shared. And it was that link that would inspire the artiste’s evolution into a sound system owner and operator.

A visit to the island ended up exposing Sgt. Remo to much more than his wife’s family. He learned how the music was played. “Of course, the sound systems were playing all over in the community almost every night. I’d go and check out the dance,” he said.

Most of the systems he saw were small, but research taught him that the real deal could be stacked much higher. So, Sgt Remo made the move to build his own. “I built it myself from scratch. I designed everything. I did a bunch of research for some time.”

Now, King Remo Sound system is the only one of its kind in San Antonio, Texas. As a result, when Sgt. Remo finally got around to searching for venues, proprietors were confounded.

“A lot of people didn’t really understand the concept. It was like, ‘We have speakers already. We don’t need you to bring speakers.’ And I’m like ‘Nah, it’s part of the whole thing. It’s part of the scene.’ I’m not the deejay who just come select some tunes. It’s a different movement, and you have to experience it.”

With support from the diaspora, the system eventually found a home. Sgt Remo started working at a place called Caribbean Mix, owned by a Jamaican from Port Antonio.

“He opened the doors to his venue, and we bring the sound over there. We’ve just been working, trying to bring it out to as many people as we can and expose the people here in San Antonio to what sound-system culture really is,” he explained.

kimberley.small@gleanerjm.com - Jamaica Gleaner

The Reggae SoulJahs' Camouflage Tour makes its way to the Bourbon Theatre this Wednesday at 8 p.m., with special guests Vibenhai and RC Dub.

The Reggae SoulJahs are a creative collaboration among some of today's top reggae artists. The super-group is made up of five solo artists who have joined forces to create an incredibly unique sound and share their passion for reggae with music lovers everywhere. This assemblage of celebrated performers includes the legendary General Smiley, Ken Serious, Mister Kali, Sgt. Remo and DJ Yahru El Guru.

"The Reggae SoulJahs' music is very diverse," explained Sgt. Remo. "Given the different backgrounds of the individual artists, you will hear everything from early reggae vibes to the latest Jamaican dance hall music and everything in between."

Sgt. Remo went on to describe how each of the Reggae SoulJahs brings their own ingredients to the table when conjuring up their spectacular stew of sound. "General Smiley is literally one of the founders of the rub-a-dub reggae sound and Ken Serious delivers a fiery and energetic performance unmatched by any artist out there," Sgt. Remo said. "Mister Kali's voice and lyrics have a rough-and-rugged revolutionary style, while I combine singing and a deep baritone deliverance of catchy lyrics. On top of that, DJ Yahru El Guru delivers a unique blend of electronic and reggae music fused together like few have been able to achieve."

RC Dub is a Nebraska native reggae group that can't wait to join the Reggae SoulJahs and Vibenhai for their hometown stop on the Camouflage Tour. The band's bassist, Emily Madison, described RC Dub's style and where its sound fits in the genre.

"We play what we like to call special blend dub reggae," Madison said. "It's the term we coined for the amalgamation of reggae that we play where we inject our own flavor into more traditional forms of the music."

The concert will mark RC Dub's long-awaited return home, as well as the capital city celebration for its new album.

"This show is going to be the Lincoln release party for our new album ‘Strategy' and we're really excited about that," Madison explained. "We always love playing at the Bourbon, so it'll be fun to be back and perform for a hometown crowd."

The Reggae SoulJahs are eager to visit the Bourbon for their first performance in Nebraska.

"Everyone in the Reggae SoulJahs crew is very excited to come to Nebraska," Sgt. Remo said. "This will be our first time playing there, and we have been getting a lot of positive feedback online so I think it'll be a lot of fun."

The Lincoln-based group of reggae rockers, Vibenhai, and RC Dub will each perform their own set to get the crowd stirring before the Reggae SoulJahs take the stage. Each of these three bands has its own sound and explores different elements of the genre, meaning Wednesday's show should be a varied experience that will bring together all forms of reggae under one roof for one night.

"This concert will feature a very diverse lineup of some great artists that span decades in reggae music, including Nebraska's own Vibenhai and RC Dub," Sgt. Remo explained. "I think it's going to be a great show!"

miklehollins@dailynebraskan.com - The Daily Nebraskan

GREETINGS TO ALL THE REGGAE SOULJAHS EVERYWHERE! We are glad to present to you the “Reggae SoulJahs Worldwide Vol. 1″ compilation album.

In total there are 16 tracks. All Killer-No Filler! We hope that everyone will enjoy listening to the album as much as we have enjoyed the entire process of putting this compilation album together. At times the deadlines and the stress of putting this project together were overwhelming, but in the end we are all excited to share this with YOU! The album features three songs from each of the Reggae SoulJahs.
Who are the Reggae SoulJahs?

Reggae SoulJahs Worldwide is the creative collaboration between several of todays best reggae artist. The SoulJahs include legendary Jamaican artist General Smiley, veteran Jamaican artist Ken Serious, New Mexico’s premier reggae dancehall artist Mister Kali, Mexican born singjay Sgt. Remo, and one of Denver CO’s best reggae/dancehall/dub/dubstep DJ’s Yahru El Guru (YEG.DJ).

Reggae SoulJahs began working together in 2008 and have continued performing and collaborating since. They have brought the old and the new schools of reggae together as one captivating audiences all over the U.S.

Album Information:
This album is the culmination of several years of work and features the members of the Reggae SoulJahs not only as artists but on the production side of the house as well. There are several featured riddims on this album. The first is the Chanting Riddim produced by General Smiley’s Ruff Company Records. It features Ken Serious’ hit song”Chanting” and Sgt. Remo’s “Third World Anthem”. The second featured riddim is the More Than Gold Riddim produced Mister Kali’s Dread I Arts and Ceremony Studios. Featured on this riddim are Mister Kali and AeZ Rock’s “More Than Gold”, General Smiley’s “Let It Go”, and Sgt. Remo’s “Jah SoulJah”. The third featured riddim is the Brighter Smile Riddim also produced by Dread I Arts and Ceremony Studios. On this riddim you will find Mister Kali’s top new tune “Samson & Delilah” and Sgt. Remo’s smash hit song “How Long”.

Other riddims on the album include Ken Serious’ production of “Lively”, as well as guest production by Albuquerque, NM’s top reggae producers Full Grown Studios. Full Grown Studios provided the riddims for Sgt. Remo’s “Thunder & Lightning” and Ken Serious’ “Defend Mi Right”.

The album is rounded off by dub/dubstep remixes by Yahru El Guru and Tony “Nighta” Garcia. Together they add a new dimension to the Reggae SoulJahs’ music reaching out to a new audience while maintaining the message and vibration of their music.

About the music:
We hope that you can listen to this album from beginning to end without having to skip any tracks. Every song on the album is a hit. Each song was carefully selected to be part of this unique project. If you listen to the lyrics you will find the message of unity and hope prominent in every song. This is what has made reggae music popular across the world. We realize the power of music and the resposibility and opportunity that comes with it. We take great pride in our music and we hope that you “the listener” will FULLJOY our album. - MJM Magazine

Jah Yutes Entertainment (JYE) releases Sgt Remo‘s album Give Thanks for Life recorded at JYE studios. This album includes 13 brand new tracks featuring guest appearances by General Smiley, Mikey Wild, Don Goliath, and Jah Melik. The first Official Video from the album titled I’m Free was released on July 26. A second Official Video of the song Survival of the Fittest is scheduled to premiere on November, 2014.

This album is the follow up to the highly successful EP Life is for Living which helped plant his name on the reggae music landscape. The album features production by long time Sgt Remo collaborator Pedro Hernandez from EA Productions (St. Petersburg, FL) and an array of producers from around the world. Sgt Remo is known for working with a diverse production team and this album is no exception with guest producers from Japan, Mexico, Spain, Chile, Peru, Jamaica, and the U.S.

“I’m Free” is a song about mental liberation and shedding the preconceived notions that often divides us as people, with Remo voicing the sentiment “Every man born free from bondage, every man born free from violence. Everyone wants to live their life well, so teach them good and don’t bad mind them.” The video for this single has received a strong response and continues to build an audience. One of the highlights of the album is the title track Give Thanks for Life urging the celebration of life’s blessings that are oftentimes taken for granted. Sgt Remo penned the song after experiencing his daughter’s battle with cancer which she triumphantly defeated.

“Give thanks for life, give thanks for joy, give thanks for the opportunity to live my life.”
He champions all women in this song acknowledging the hardships they experience as mothers, often being single parents. He states “give thanks for mama, set the rule and the order. Without a father, she is the mama and the dada.” The song was produced by Spain’s Rey JahB Estudio.

Other highlights in the album include the provocative Survival of the Fittest and Babylon is Burning. Survival of the Fittest is a highly energetic song voicing the frustrations of poor communities around the world rallying the people to “stand tall, all my warriors stand tall. Stand tall, make them know Jah we a call.” Another notable song is Make a Change, an inspirational collaboration featuring reggae dancehall pioneer General Smiley from the Michigan & Smiley duo. Smiley sings a captivating chorus while Sgt Remo delivers some rich vocals on this song about making a positive change in our lives.

General Smiley is also featured in It’s All Been Said. This roots reggae track was masterfully produced by Peru’s La Chakra Records. Remo gives praises to the elders reminding us about their extensive, but often forgotten, contributions singing “it’s all been said, it’s all been done. I man just here, trying to live like them.”

Sgt Remo teams up with Germany’s producer/artist Don Goliath and veteran Bermuda artist Mikey Wild on the roots step Call on Jah skirting the realms of electronic music. Remo Rankin delivers a rapid delivery on the very danceable remake of the Ride Your Donkey riddim of the late 60’s, this one titled Donkey riddim produced by Mexico City’s TnT Music and Cuartito de a Jah. Sound System is a big up to the sound system culture which has been fundamental in Sgt Remo’s career.

My Light and Salvation is a combination song with Japanese Rasta chanter Jah Melik. One Life to Live and Road of Corruption round off the album with some great instrumental versions produced by Josh Mundahl and Nigel Burrell (Firehouse Crew, Jamaica) and Mexico’s Dub Command respectively. - The Bajan Reporter