From Manchester, Jamaica to Dortmund, Germany, Keith ‘Roughhouse’ Powell has emerged a dynamic, multi-talented performer in the music industry. His father, Keith Powell Snr, played guitar for reggae legends Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown and with Lloyd Parks & We The People Band. The young Powell was literally born into music, his first instrument was the bass, which his father taught him and over the years he learnt on his own to mastery level, the percussions and the guitar.

In 2000 Roughhouse journeyed to Germany on vacation, where he met Sierra Leonean-German singer-songwriter, Patrice, who recognized his talents and soon offered him a contract. Settling in the city of Dortmund, Roughhouse through collaboration with Patrice had an opportunity to work with other musicians- forming and leading the bands ‘Rhaatid’ and ‘Tsunami’ and also producing music with recording artists from Germany like D-Flame (“Unaufhaltsam“, 2003), Uwe Banton (“Jah Roots“, 2006), Nosliw (“Mittendrin“, 2007), Gentleman (“Another Intensity“, 2007), Samy Deluxe (“TNT, 2008 / “Dis wo ich herkomm“, 2009 / “Bis die Sonne rauskommt“, 2009 / “Dis wo ich herkomm LIVE“, 2010 / “Schwarzweiss“, 2011), Max Herre (“Max Herre“, 2009), Die Fantastischen Vier (“Vier“, 2009).

Roughhouse had provided musical support over the years for touring Jamaican Acts in Europe such as Tarrus Riley, Junior Kelly, Ken Boothe, and President Brown. As the musical director touring with Jamaican artiste, Andru Donalds Roughhouse is afforded the experience of performing at festivals like Summer Jam, Chiemsee Reggae, Splash Hip-Hop-Festival, Rock am Ring, Rock am Park and many more famous events in Europe and Russia.

Roughhouse has released 3 albums: 2006 [“My Intention “with 18 tracks, showcasing his versatility of style and subject matter], “Love Divine” in 2012 and an acoustic album “Take a Look” released in 2015. Always the entrepreneur, Roughhouse became co-CEO of the independent record label “MPerium Records” in 2013, under which he and the founder Michael Peukert aka“MicRoyal” produced and released hip-hop/rap, reggae, acoustic and pop music genre.

Ever true to the words ‘Our Past, Present and Future are all happening at once’ Roughhouse lives in each moment. This freedom allows his charismatic, creative and artistic abilities to always be his drivers for success.

Her unique sound and warm voice is seductive, captivating and intense. With a mixed ethnic background from Africa, India and Europe, she has learned to incorporate different cultures and traditions. Something you can feel and hear through her music which is evocative and contains both depth and lightness.

She is the writer of both melodies and lyrics, and though the music she makes is deeply rooted in the rhythm and blues tradition and stems out of black musical roots, she has been able to maintain her own expression and to add to the music her personal touch. In essence, there is a spirituality to her expression, which is quite unique when one considers the down to earth essence in the music genre it is embodied through. Her songs revolve around themes of love and longing, of male/female relationships, of being a woman, and you sense how Pearl’s music is founded in her own being and rooted in her own femininity.

Pearl is born in Botswana and she moved to Denmark when she was 14 years old.  She has performed in several places in Europe, including Moscow where she received radio airplay with a song she featured on by Moscow based Trip-hop/Elctro Jazz band VFSixPearl has collaborated with producers and songwriters from different parts of the world.

Her previous Album ‘The Fall and Rise of a Woman’ was recorded in Denmark in collaboration with the Reggae band ReCulture. It is a cross-over project between different musical genres, namely Reggae, Soul, and Pop.

Pearls new Project/Album which will be due in 2017 will have its focus mainly on Soul, Jazz, AfroSoul/beat and AfroJazz. She has recently become part of the Drinkard Music Group, which is founded by family members of the legendary Drinkard  and Robinson family members which includes great singers such as Cissy Drinkard now known as Cissy Houston. Pearls Album will be released and mostly produced by the Drinkard Music Group in 2017. For more info visit: http://pearlsoul.com/

Many international artistes struggle to find their space and musical identity. There are those who experiment with various musical styles and others who use their own culture to define their ultimate sound. For emerging reggae artiste “Kingseyes”, musical identity came from his exposure to a potpourri of cultures and backgrounds throughout his lifetime. His first single “Mamacita Bonita” demonstrates the arrival of a fresh new talent, with the energy that capitivates his audience, but strikes out in its own territory. The “Kingseyes” sound is appealing to reggae and soca followers, but can easily be identified with those who are soothed by smooth Lover’s Rock, Dancehall, Pop or House music. He defines his sound as Reggaeton – a blend of Jamaican dancehall, Trinidadian soca, Latin American salsa and electronica.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Kingeyes is no stranger to music having started his career at the age of 10, singing on school and church choirs back in his childhood hometown. With numerous opportunities available to his parents in Europe, he left Nigeria in 1993 and moved to Stuttgart, Germany where he has been residing since. While in Europe, Kingseyes explored many professional fields and currently holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Law and a Master of Arts degree in International Business Management and Strategy. With his many years of experience in Law and Business Management, Kingseyes soon realized that his true passion was with music. Finding balance with maintaining a day job and pursuing your true passion had not always been easy for this artiste, and found his solace recording and performing with a pop band called “E- Connection” in 1996. The group gained some recognition with hit single “Dreaming of You”, which was used as a soundtrack on of Germany’s leading soap opera series – “Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten”. The group changed its name to “Dream Beat” in 1998 and later recorded a cover version of Whitelion’s “When the Children Cry”, released on the Bravo hit compilation album in 1998.

He continued to tour and record singles with the group until 2000 when he embarked on his solo project. In that same year, Kingseyes teamed with the producers of Magic
Affairs to record pop single “Oh Lalala”. The song was never released because the parties could not settle on a satisfactory deal. Kingseyes recorded his last pop song in 2003 titled “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, the track was released by Universal Records and Digidance in the Netherlands.

By 2007, Kingseyes had perfected his craft as a “pop” musician and recording artiste, shared stage with top reggae performers including Luciano, Ziggy Marley, Inner Circle, I Threes, Linkon Kwesi Johnson, Gramps and Peter Morgan of Morgan Heritage, top pop acts of the 90’s – Funfactory, Pharaoh as well as Master Boy. Despite varied success and exposure as a pop artiste, his reggae inspiration forced him to experiment with the Jamaican rooted genre. Influenced by the sounds of veteran reggae stalwarts Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, King Yellow Man, Freddy McGregor, Josey Wales, Shabba Ranks and the lengendary Bob Marley; Kingseyes created an infusion of reggae, ska and rocksteady as the frontman for “No Sports” – one of Germany’s best known Ska and Rocksteady bands. He led the band between 1999 and 2003.

Boasting over fifteen years in reggae and reggaeton music, Kingseyes delivers a unique concert experience during his performances, whether on a large open air reggae festival or in the typical European nightclub scene. He has performed in numerous cities in Germany and was featured on the annual Cologne Summerjam Reggae Festival in 2005 and 2007. Kingseyes has also toured major cities in Switzerland, Spain, Austria and France. Kingseyes also recently returned from the Gambia, where he had a successful ten days tour.

He is currently signed to independent label Nicbay Records/Juggler Records and worked with various international music producers to deliver his first 17-track reggaeton album, released early last year. Christopher Birch (Birch Records), Javier and Julian Montilla from Columbia produced tracks on the debut, along with German-based producers Royal Commanders, Jimmy Love from Harlem New York (USA), German producer and singer Ganjaman, Roger “Sunlounger” Shah, House of Riddim as well as Jugglerz.

Indeed, his passion for reggae music is based on the positive messages and the life it brings to its listeners. Kingseyes explains, “Reggae music has soul, and it is the soul of the music that never leaves your ears and your heart.” Though the album is a combination of reggae, dancehall and reggaeton flavours, it promises to be a captivating and moving debut that heralds the arrival of a gifted multicultural talent; one whose sound is familiar, yet inspiring to many. The album “Curiosity” is available for online downloads on iTunes, Musicload, Rhapsody, Play, Medion and Juno Download.

Kingseyes is hungry for success and is ready to take on the world. “ I am in this to stay, I want to take my music worldwide, I am here to inspire, revolutionize and break all barriers. The most high sees everything (Kingseyes).”

For bookings, further information and to schedule interviews contact: ckingseyes@googlemail.com or info@jugglerz.de

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingseyes music
Twitter: www.twittwer.com/kingseyes_music
Music Download: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/curiosity/id952329268
Video Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjyeXFWLKhQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=027GXrgXdcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QanTb-B_aGA

Growing up in war-torn Sri Lanka motivated Franklin Fernando to go to battle. But instead of taking up arms, he armed himself with a guitar, and songs that speak of a century-old struggle.

Born in Winnipeg, Fernando and his family relocated to Sri Lanka amidst the nation’s longstanding civil war between two ethnic groups – the Sinhalese (majority) and Tamil (minority) people. The son of a Sinhalese tradesman who provided sanctuary for his Tamil wife and her family, a young Fernando found himself struggling to find his identity during formative teen years.

After returning to Winnipeg in 2007, with tensions still rising in Sri Lanka, Fernando didn’t know what to do about the empathy he felt for his fellow Tamils. “I was living an illusion. I didn’t think I could make a difference.”

It wasn’t until graduating high school and taking a job at a worker-owned co-op café that Fernando’s perspective was monumentally impacted. Enlightenment came in the form of an article written by Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge about ongoing conflicts between the Sinhalese and Tamils. “In that moment I realized these are the two groups that make up my heritage – these are my people, this is my homeland,” he says emphatically. “Reading that story simply changed my life.”

Fernando was compelled to take action. His weapon would become a Fender Stratocaster; his ammunition, a catalogue of songs that promoted peace, empowerment, and prosperity. His army? An ever-expanding legion of followers who dig reggae music…

Franklin Fernando first met Rasta percussionist Martin Valach in 2010, at a late-night drum jam on Canada Day. A long-time veteran of Winnipeg’s reggae circle, Valach shared Fernando’s passion for making music with a message. “Martin really shaped me and the music I wanted to make,” says Fernando. “He showed me the power of reggae.”

Valach became Fernando’s musical muse and co-founder of reggae outfit RasTamils. The band name combines two words representative of two cultures – ‘Ras’ (short for Rastafarian) and ‘Tamils’ (the name of Sri Lanka’s minority people). Putting these two words together reflects the hope that Franklin Fernando and his bandmates share of cultures coming together around the world.

Rounding out RasTamils are Christian DeVoin (bass), J.R. Hill (lead guitar), Andy Castello (keyboards), Matthew Walden (trumpet) and Janice Finlay (saxophone/ flute). Together, they create a beautifully layered and tasteful take on the classic reggae rhythms of Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sly & Robbie, and Bob Marley, combined with popular pop reggae sounds of Busy Signal and Christopher Martin, and simple ‘80s rock. Lead vocalist Fernando has a style reminiscent of Qawwali singers Nasrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and home-inspired Gunadasa Kapuge.

The culmination of their sonic concoction can be heard on the band’s self- titled 2011 EP – a collection of seven dance- inducing tracks laced with RasTamils’ ever-potent, politically-charged lyrics. The album received positive attention from the CBC, whose program Manitoba Scene chose the track Friends as one of the Top 5 of 2012.

Their second album, It’s a Dream, was released in September 2015. It contains 11 soulful reggae anthems, in solidarity with the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. “We’re trying to open people’s eyes to what’s happening in the world,” says Fernando. “Music is known as the gateway to the soul, and the gateway to the heart. We also believe that, most importantly, music is the gateway to the mind.” ! Fernando has a unique take on success that is best summarized in the words of a quote he finds inspirational, by Booker T. Washington: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”

From the stage, RasTamils are as inspiring as they are informative. “It’s really just friends coming together to play,” Fernando says. It’s this ease that contributes to the sense of community that extends from the stage and into the audience, whether it’s a crowd of dozens at a local club or thousands from an outdoor stage. It’s this sense of community that drives home their message.

Phil Watkis, born January 20, in the parish of St. Ann Jamaica, is the music industry’s best kept secret. This golden child, who has a zest for life, is family oriented and a lover of nature on all levels. He is always pushing his boundaries and setting new and higher levels of achievement.

Though Phil is from humble beginnings, he did not allow this to hinder his progress. He regales the defining moment in his life when he chose music or rather chose him. Being at the home of an elder musician friend’s home and strumming away on his friend’s guitar under a tree, when he was momentarily joined by a bird that moved progressively closer to him to join him in singing along to the melody he was playing. Instinctively, this surreal experience propelled Phil into action. He is a highly sociable individual who loves travelling to new places, meeting new people and learning about new cultures. This self-motivated young man’s interests span dominoes, the performing arts soccer, and being a great friend to those who are lucky enough to become a part of his life.

Phil accredits his definitive entrance to the industry to his mentor Mikie Bennett, who nurtured, directed, and continued to steer his energies in the right direction. Mikie Bennett is a musical guru; he is an explosion of talent, the quintessential musician’s musician. He is a producer, song writer, and manager; additionally, he adopts and mentors young and upcoming musicians, also adopting students from the Edna Manley school of Music – boasting young live bands, for which he garners corporate sponsorship for their ongoing and continued development.

Watkis undoubtedly has benefitted from this interaction and tutelage and is now able to prove his own unexpected talent to the industry. He has in his repertoire has been produced by Mikie Bennett, Dean Fraser, Eloy Daron, Mr. Willy Lindo and Romel Marshall. He boasts performances on shows such as Rebel Salute (2006), Roots Home Coming Festival (2006/2007 in Gambia), St. Mary Me Come From (2007), several US performances, numerous appearances on the prominent Jamaican morning shows on Television Jamaica, just to name a few. Watkis’ music transcends all genres and he doesn’t believe that he is defined by the specifics of any particular category; his strategy is to enchant his audience with the perfect package: entertainment, life experiences, and substance.

Phil’s releases include “Bless our Souls Jah” (2004) his first, “Know my Friends” (2005) from which he was afforded some exposure, and in 2007:”Shake up Mi Natty”. He charts his progress from his days of banging on the desks in class making rhythms and singing with fellow artist Jahzeal ”Mr. Pepper” Walters to his first introduction to Mikie Bennett which came with constructive and rewarding criticism, to his birth into the performing arts, his introduction to the guitar (all under the tutelage of Bennett), his introduction to the voicing room, which led to air play on various radio stations and then to stage shows.

Between 2014 and 2015, Phil has released his single entitled “Falling For You”, “Mama Struggles” and “Broken Promises’. Since 2016, Phil is now signed with Jam Link International for Europe booking agent. In addition, he is signed to Inferno Music Group owned by Willie Covington.

Phil Watkis is by no means at the acme of his career, but so far is proud of the fact that he has pursued his dreams he feels that if he hadn’t, he would not have touched the few lives that he has. Watkis is an undeniable resource of extraordinary music which engenders love for others and for life itself which will continue to take us to new unforeseen heights. He continues to work hard and set new goals to reach his ultimate, mindful of his Grandmother’s ideology which is imprinted on his heart “This is great music and you will make it”.

For those who’ve been waiting for Rasta consciousness to mount a resurgence in contemporary reggae, Jah9 is a figure of revelation and deliverance.

A true sister of the faith she first caught the attention of many with the release of her lilting and comedic music video for “Avocado.” Though that production visually represented her African-centric sense of couture, cuisine, style, sensuality décor and even tableware, it barely prepared us for the evangelical force and fury Jah9 would be delivering to roots music in short order.

When heard in the full flower of older songs such as “Steamers A Bubble,”“Jungle” and “Gratitude” Jah9 was revealed to be a singer and poet of considerable range, soul and jazz inflected melodicism. Also as those who’ve seen Jah9’s fiery and righteous live shows can testify, she is hardly a made in the studio chanteuse incapable of translating to the stage with abundant dynamism.

The product of a strong upbringing, by two hard working culturally and politically engagedparents, Jah9 (born Janine Cunningham) is also a university graduate, a multidisciplinary yoga instructor, a youth at risk counselor and a slamming dub-poet champion. The combination of intellectual rigor, real world activism and lyrical musicality is well on display in her sophomore album ‘ 9.’ Thematically there is no slacking in spiritual advocacy, oppositional militancy or honed and focused tunefulness.

What is most palpably novel however is the intimacy of Jah9s address to the menfolk in her circumference— notably with respect to such issues as machismo, respect (or lack thereof) for the binding, sustaining forces of feminine energy, family, children and the necessity for principled integrity in frontline romantic relationships. Attention paid to the lyrics of “Greatest Threat To The Status Quo” will yield these incisive gems of insight: ”We are not separate /All emanating from the same divine plan/ So persecution of the feminine is the reason for the state the world is in/ A spiritual woman is the greatest threat to the status quo/ The fruits she will bare/ The power she has access to.” Ditto can be said for these lines from the harmonically sophisticated “Natural Vibe,” a song of tightly coiled desire:” My senses do not deceive me /These intense vibrations will crescendo 1 day real soon / This complicated melody will find its harmony in tune When the stars are aligned under the height of the moon.” The first single and video “Humble Mi,” which sounds at first like a traditional Rasta chant, extends the form to reveal a personal journey into relationship with the “creator.

”Beyond her strengths as a lyricist, Jah9 is delivers an impressive performance as primary producer of this nine song project. With collaborators, including Andrew Campbell, Brecht De Beover, Wayne ‘ Unga’ Thompson and Earl ‘ Chinna’ Smith, Jah9 has delivered in 9 an album, nay, a sonic site of resistance and revelation. 9 fulfills the promise of her earlier releases with expansive maturity, prophetic purpose and even deeper displays of warrior-goddess prowess on the mic.

Greg Tate, Black Rock Coalition