Fabriclive 54

A pioneering broadcaster, nightclub disc jockey, and victorious veteran of countless sound system clashes, David Rodigan is easily the best-known reggae DJ in the world. Armed with a vast knowledge of the music stemming from a lifelong obsession, and regular visits to Jamaica that yielded intense friendships with key figures such as King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, the reggae ambassador has probably done more than anyone else on the planet to spread knowledge of Jamaican popular music through several decades' worth of disc spinning, radio broadcasting, and album compiling. One of the most appealing aspects of a Rodigan set is that vintage classics are linked to their up-to-the-minute counterparts, so keen listeners will always get a sense of reggae's intense evolution, as well as the way that the genre has influenced other forms of contemporary music, such as hip-hop, house and dubstep. Thus, on Fabriclive 54, King Tubby's 'The Roots of Dub' and Joe Gibbs' 'He Dubbed' set the stage for Sly and Robbie's 'Blackboard' and Cadenza's dubstep reworking of Keith & Tex's 'Stop That Train,' while Big Youth's evergreen 'Waterhouse Rock' and Tenor Saw's perennial 'Ring the Alarm' pre-empt Cham's gripping 'Ghetto Story,' Collie Buddz's infectious 'Come Around,' Shaggy's hilarious 'Church Heathen,' and Million Stylez's compelling re-cut of 'Police in Helicopter.' Further recent thrills come from Alborosie, Etana, Chezidek, Romain Virgo and Bitty McLean, all serving up hot reggae nuggets for a broad, contemporary audience.