mobtown ska records
Ska and classic reggae are fairly well represented on t’internet. It seems that every graduate with a Trojan box set and a bong has at some point thought ‘I know, a podcast showcasing old school music from Jamaica – there’s not enough of those out there!’
However, recently, as the weather has got warmer I’ve been digging around for something to satisfy the desire for some skanking sounds. And the itch has been well and truly scratched by DJ Bobby Babylon and his Mobtown Ska Sounds podcast. Like all the best music selections, BB has a record collection to die for, a burning desire to show it off, and a lightly worn expertise.
The shows are generally themed. Recent episodes include ‘Reggae Court’, which gathered together loads of tunes which feature rudeboys being sentenced by ‘Judge 100 Years’, ‘Judge Roughneck’ and the fantastic ‘Judge Black Sulphuric Acid’. . Then there’s the excellent Beatles tribute show, which not only rocked a bunch of Fab Four reggae versions, but also paid tribute to ska’s US heritage by dropping a number of obscure R’n’B covers as well.
It’s not all reggae – the Bo Diddly tribute is well worth an hour of anybody’s time – but mainly that’s the fare. As well as the classic stuff, BB covers the modern ska scene as well, tucking in a number of current or recent tunes in to podcasts as the mood demands.
Babylon has recently moved his host from podmatic to Music Is Our Occupation, so there might be a bit of a hiatus while he gets things up and running on the new platform. But there’s over fifty shows in the archive, available on iTunes, and each one’s a delight. I’m saving the ‘early Wailers’ and ‘vinyl reggae selection’ specials up, but if they’re anything like the dozen or so I’ve already sampled, they’ll be crackers. Enjoy.
