Yaadcore takes ‘Reggaeland’ to higher levels

Father of entertainer gains greater understanding of his son’s music

With live music performances returning to the spotlight slowly, Yaadcore provided reggae supporters a front-row seat to an engaging night with the first official live performance of his recently released Reggaeland album last Friday. In a two hour-long set, he managed to retransform the cool St Andrew hills venue known as Skyline Levels into a sizzling stage as he made his Jamaican debut as a performing artiste.

Yaadcore, given name Rory Cha, was able to meld music-selecting talents and freestyling lyrics in a set backed by a band of eclectic musicians including Horace ‘YelluhDrumz’ Ellis on drums; Andre ‘Spyda’ Dennis on keyboard; Randy ‘Tromboclaat’ Fletcher and Deshaun Fender on horns; Harjinder ‘Jinda’ Singh on guitar; Salim ‘Bruce Lim’ Browne on bass; Stephen ‘Shaqu’ Forbes on percussion; and background vocalists Justine Rookwood and Shanice Phillips.

“Stage is my backyard,” the artiste told The Gleaner, adding that it gives him a unique advantage, “to be comfortable with interacting with an audience.”

“It is also a divine power that I have my first live band show in Jamaica, and it happened on my earthstrong, which was not planned and at Skyline Drive where I basically started my reggae career nine years ago,” Yaadcore continued.

Yaadcore introduced each song with a brief explanation and story, not leaving out the chapter of being a rebellious teenager when his father, Tony Cha, gave him a life-changing ultimatum. “My father told me if I continued to smoke the weed, I would have to leave … and trust me I did leave,” he said with a laugh.

Cha, who is the owner of Love People International Sound, was on hand to witness the Mandeville-born entertainer share his truth and talent. He said that he fully understands his son now.

“It’s always good to see your offspring excelling in their endeavours. I love music, so I understand where he got that from, but now, I’ve been able to see the artiste in him glowing brightly. I know what he is feeling. Social media has helped him to take his work as a selector to higher levels from where I’ve been, and I only wish him more health and strength and continue to tell him to be wise,” Cha shared.

HIGH ENERGY

Along with his familial legacy, another influence on Yaadcore has been his travels. The songs of Reggaeland are, at their core, ‘yaad’ music but layered with elements of hip hop, soul, and jazz. As the band segued into each track, there was something preternaturally soothing about the voice of Yaadcore decorated by the sounds of the instruments, echoing through the speakers. Arriving on a long journey from finding his niche in the sound system sphere, where he would occasionally chant conscious messages, he seemed more than ready to share a different side of his story through songs like Ready Now and Ghetto Youths. But even with his usual high energy, there was a hint of humble quaver while proffering each tune from the 14-track album – as though they were enlightening lullabies.

Yaadcore was not about to make the show all about his debut. He invited veteran reggae artiste Richie Spice, who is featured on Nyquil (Spliff A Light Spliff), to centre stage, which immediately sparked lighters being raised high in the air. Later in the session, the entertainer switched the mood with R&B-soul and jazz singer Sara Couch as they did a sultry performance of La La Laa. The band segued into each rhythm effortlessly and followed Yaadcore’s lead for freestyles without any hiccups.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com