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Reggae.be is an initiative of the non-profit organization Beljam Reggae Massive (BRM). Our goal is to promote and support Jamaican music and culture in all its forms.
Reggae.be was founded in 2002 and is the oldest and largest portal for Jamaican music and culture in Belgium (Beljam). The site offers detailed concert and festival reports, news, travel stories, reviews, interviews and a comprehensive events calendar. Thanks to strong interaction with social media, Reggae.be has grown to become the go-to meeting place for the thriving Beljam reggae community.
We deliberately choose high-quality, well-written reviews, album reviews, interviews and news articles. We also want to appeal to French- and English-speaking readers, so we try to publish as many articles as possible in three languages.
Reggae.be is a direct descendant of the reggaezines Ridim (80ies) en Rockers (90ies). This site was founded in 2002, back then not much more than an enriched forum, a place where everybody could respond to our messages and announcements. Photos and illustrations were still inexistent at the time.
he very first concert report published (February 10, 2002), was one of Mr. Vegas and Ward 21 at VK in Brussels. The first album reviews were dedicated to The Internationals, Lee Perry, Zion Train, Jah Shaka, UB40 and the famous band Various Artists. Since then we've published more than 1500 reviews and hundreds of reports and interviews. The advantage is that, as long as we keep this website alive, all these articles will remain consultable online. Those ancient Ridim and Rockers magazines have in time become sought after collector's items.
Reggae.be's most fundamental change took place behind the scenes, in 2002, when we joined forces with Civalizee Foundation's successful internet forum and the local website Antwerpmassive.be. Nxt to a now aging roots generation, during the 90's and 00's a whole new scene had emerged, which wasn't getting the attention it deserved on Reggae.be. With the influx of some new young talent, more in touch with the dancehall as well as the upcoming dub scene and other related subcultures, Reggae.be soon filled the void. We even enlisted our first French speaking reporter. You can call us old-fashioned Belgians, but as long as Belgium remains a united country, Reggae.be will continue to form one united front with the reggae massive in Brussels and Wallonia.
These days we try to cover the whole range of reggae related music, from dub to dancehall, doing our best to publish as much articles as possible in two or three languages; something we can only accomplish with the help of several volunteer translators. Our ticket contest are now fully automated and the upkeep of the site is paid with advertising revenues.
In 2015 Jah Rebel (Tim Ianna) stepped in as editor in chief, but Jah Shakespear (Karel Michiels) remains active as senior writer. Joined by a loyal team of volunteers, they continue to inform and update the visitors of Reggae.be on what's going on in the Belgian (Beljam) reggae community.
Editor in Chief
Together with Jah Shakespear, one of the founders of Reggae.be, he first started as a critic and a reporter before in the end of 2014 becoming editor in chief. Divides his time between his two passions: music and Haile Selassie.
Senior Writer & Founder
Jah Shakespear has been listening to reggae music since 1977, started writing about the subject in the early nineteen eighties (for De Morgen, De Standaard, P-Magazine, Highlife and a number of other magazines) and founded this website in 2002. He's also the author of 'De Rasta Revelatie' (2008) and 'In Het Spoor Van De Keizer' (2016).
Editorial Staff
Has been fascinated by Jamaican culture since childhood. As a student, co-authored the English part of a secondary bibliography on Caribbean literature, wrote two master theses on dub poetry and has conducted research on violence and resistance in Jamaican dub poetry and dancehall. She has been doing reviews, reports and interviews for Reggae.be for a couple of years now. She admits: "Nostalgic lovers rock is secretly my biggest love."
Editorial Staff
Timo is a theatre-maker and actor with an insatiable appetite for just about anything to do with reggae, and primarily sees himself as a passionate collector of everything from early ska to conscious dancehall. Through his collaboration with Reggae.be he can now finally give something back to the music that has given him so much.
Editorial Staff
Fell under the spell of reggae music in the late 1970s. Being the only white member of Burnin' Ash, one of Belgium's first reggae bands, he was rebaptized Ras Mundele (Mundele meaning "white man" in Lingala). Together with Aura Lewis was active as lead singer and keyboard player with Tsjaka Band until 2000 and, for a while, also collaborated with The Right Prophecy. A few years ago, Mundele picked up where he left off, returning to composing music and songwriting. Captivated by the social and spiritual ideas linked with reggae music for over 40 years, he now wants to share that message through Reggae.be.
Editorial Staff
From a young age, Quinten was drawn to the rebellious nature of the reggae genre and Rastafarian culture. Ultimately, it led him to dedicate two thesis works to the subject and acquire a bass guitar to delve even deeper into the music. Starting in 2017, he actively engaged in the Belgian dub scene as an organizer and MC for Bloodhound Soundsystem. Now, another chapter unfolds as he steps into the role of reporter and reviewer for Reggae.be.
Photography & Editorial Staff
During a summer in the mid nineteen eighties Peter was introduced to the vibes of Eek-A-Mouse by some of his leaders at Chiro Flanders, a Flemish youth organization. Later that same year, he asked Santa Claus for some "reggae", and got his first cassette tape version of Bob Marley's 'Legend' compilation. Has been a regular at reggae concerts since 1991, and these days combines his passion for reggae with that for photography, always on the lookout for the ultimate image capturing the performance and charisma of the artist. Mainly collects roots on vinyl and wheels through life.
Social Media
The power of reggae made Erna believe in love again. She became Reggae.be's ideal promo-lady, spreading the message wherever she cans. You can always find Erns at dub, roots or dancehall parties, or at live reggae shows.
Marketing & PR
Imos has been a reggae aficionado since the tender age of fifteen. Living the Rasta livity and later on transitioning into an astute mind in the business community with a profound dedication and love for Africa and the Caribbean. Returning to his roots, he joined the Reggae.be crew, taking charge of partnerships and promotion!
Photography & Editorial
I'm Marcraft, and reggae has been in my DNA from a young age. I discovered the genre in the 1970s through Bob Marley, and my passion got a new boost in the 1990s thanks to the powerful voice of Alpha Blondy. His concert at Ancienne Belgique in 1992 proved to be a turning point, cementing my love for live reggae once and for all. Today, I channel that passion through Reggae.be. My goal is simple: to shine a spotlight on the Belgian reggae scene and culture.
Reggae.be is constantly evolving, so we can always use new staff (volunteers) to help us expand this site even further.
Join Our Team →Do you have any questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Contact us →Reggae.be is the ideal platform for promoting your reggae-related products and events.
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