New Wave, DJ Ashile, and Harry Toddler bring vibrancy to Rum Festival
Published:Monday | July 22, 2024 | 12:08 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Appleton Estate Rum Festival was an electrifying display of talent and energy, despite the wet and muddy conditions left by the rain. Amanyea Stine’s versatility in dance and music, along with the Grammy-nominated recording producer Iotosh’s Bob Marley ancestral feel, and Joby Jay’s vocal texture and look, showcased the ‘New Wave’ of Jamaican artistes.
These young, talented, and transformational artistes set the stage for what the world should expect from Jamaica. As the opening acts at the Appleton Estate Rum Festival, they were the precursor to the energy and electricity that brought a soaking Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex to life on Thursday night.
For an hour, the group — Amanyea, daughter of renowned dance choreographer L’Antoinette Stines, Royal Blu, Friday Night Cru, DJs Fatalic and Boomdraw—delivered lyrical freshness. They blended traditional genres of reggae and dancehall with elements of electronic music, afrobeats, hip-hop and trap, setting themselves apart from the pack.
Pushing what Wray and Nephew describes as “no musical boundaries”, this new wave of Jamaican artistes showcased that the island’s music industry continues to evolve, adapting to digital trends to reach worldwide audiences.
“New Wave represents a unique collective of emerging and established reggae talent who all have the unified mission of preserving and communicating Jamaican culture to the world through contemporary sounds, creatives, and technology,” shared Dominic Bell, communications manager at the Campari Group.
Earlier in the week, Bell’s sentiments were echoed by New Wave Ja’s creative director Lindsey Lodenquai, who stated, “We always like to give a voice to rising and established acts within our creative spaces. Sharing their depth and range of talents is at the core of who we are at New Wave.”
Interspersed with the exciting young talents was a veteran who earned his reputation on the dancehall scene, Harry Toddler, formerly of the ‘Scare Dem Crew’. The maestro received his ‘props’ from the audience and was a welcome addition to the classy event, showcasing the ‘Spirit of Reggae’.
His set was complemented by DJ Ashile, ‘The Real Chile’, who had the crowd going from start to finish. Bringing the vibes that those in the know have come to expect from him, Ashile had the audience fully engaged.
Ashile, who started out in the music business as a drummer and later became a selector in 2003, is among the most popular disc jockeys in the parish of St Ann. His set was slated for an hour and could easily have gone for two, had it not been for the star performer Moses ‘Beenie Man’ Davis, accompanied by the JARIA 17-member orchestra, who, as the headline act, had to continue with star time.