SOUTH FLORIDA-BASED REGGAE BAND ARTIKAL SOUND SYSTEM, HITS THE BILLBOARD REGGAE ALBUM CHART WITH THE EP “DUBVERSIONS!”

AN eclectic sound has helped give South Florida reggae band ARTIKal the number two spot on Billboard’s Reggae Album Chart with their EP Dubversions. This is the band’s second entry on the chart having reached number two early this year with another EP, Inversions.

ARTIKal was formed three years ago. Based in Delray Beach, the quartet consists of Chris Montague, Fabian Acuna, Chris Cope and Tristan McNeil.

Lead vocalist Montague explained the group’s diverse style.

“Musically, we bring a mix of genres and styles with a reggae foundation. This allows us to appeal to several age groups and demographics. We are a roots-rock-reggae band, emphasis on the word ‘rock’ as we do have heavier riffs than most reggae bands,” he said. “We are all about rocking out and shredding. We have riffs that have been compared to Rage Against The Machine and we do some serious classic rock covers reworked in a rub-a-dub style.”

After three EPs, Montaque said the group has evolved musically.

We started out with RedLyte (a Trini-born Brooklyn-raised artist) as the lead vocalist, and shortly after Biggz General (Matthew Prendergast — a grandson of Bob Marley) started performing and recording with us. After years of touring with them the band evolved where the musicians took the role of lead singers.”

The group is currently touring Florida to support Dubversions which was released on October 10. It contains six tracks: Take The Power, What They Need, More, In The Air, Secret Societies and Too late.

A US West Coast tour is in the pipeline for early next year.

“We have toured throughout the East Coast and done some dates in Peru. We play mostly to an American/Caribbean/Latin audience between the ages of 17-40,” Montague explained.

Biggz General, RedLyte, Alex Marley, Keznamdi, Menny More, Dax Lion and Inner Circle are some of the Jamaican artists ARTIKal has worked with. They have also backed the Abyssinians and Apple Gabriel, formerly of Israel Vibration.