After eight years on Bes’ 100FM, disc jockey Steve James recently moved his show, Real Rock, to Newstalk93fm, a radio station based at the University of the West Indies.
Real Rock airs Fridays from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm. It maintains the format James used at Bes’ FM, which is a mixture of British lovers’ rock, reggae, and live gigs and interviews with producers, promoters and artists.
“The focus of the show is to highlight good, quality reggae music that seldom gets radio play among the other radio stations and to educate our listeners about our rich musical heritage,” said James. “We not only highlight the singers but the players of instruments, producers, promoters and all who played a part in the development of our music.”
James specializes in reggae produced in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. Over the years, his shows have been a forum for artists from that country including veteran vocalists Vivian Jones and Peter Hunnigale, and deejay Macka B.
Steve James
Real Rock, he stressed, has given them the type of exposure not heard in Jamaica since the early 1980’s, when mainstream radio embraced British singers such as Maxi Priest and deejays like Dominic and Smiley Culture.
“We get calls and emails on a daily basis from viewers and listeners who long to hear some well-produced and recorded music. We play songs, not rhythms, so that is key; we highlight the music.don’t tell me about a Head Pon Shoulder rhythm or a Roll over and Skank, for argument sake,” he said.
The live show aspect revisits historic concerts such as Gregory Isaacs at Brixton Academy; Dennis Brown performing at Montreux Jazz Festival; and Aswad at Reggae Sunsplash.
Other segments of Real Rock are Feature Presentation which focuses on topics in music including spousal abuse and relationships; and Hospitality Lounge which covers various aspects of the Jamaican tourism industry.
— By Howard Campbell
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