Best Reggae Remixes
Faustina Trafton
We've reached the middle of January now, and perhaps it's because the temperature only made it to 45 degrees today that I have caught myself numerous times today daydreaming about much warmer days. Reggae is definitely a genre of music that has me thinking of those carefree Charleston days of spring and summer. Reggae has it's origins dating back to the late 1960s coming from Kingston, Jamaica. Maybe it's the fact that the music came from that lovely tropical island that allows me to think about gentle summer breezes downtown at the Historic Rice Mill while at a wedding ceremony or maybe out at the Seabrook Island Club watching the sunset, and doing the same while out at the Creek Club at Ion, which might have the best sunset views in the entire Charleston area. Reggae seems to pop up quite frequently on many Charleston wedding playlists, but how about doing it for the entire duration of your cocktail hour? I love to mix things up for my clients and doing an all-reggae cocktail hour playlist would make for an amazing start to the music at your wedding.
If you are going to talk to your Charleston wedding DJ about putting together an all-reggae cocktail hour playlist, then you might also want to get with your wedding planner and caterer to see about serving a signature "reggae cocktail" Yes, that's right! he said "Reggae cocktail". You can search around Pinterest for signature wedding cocktails, but I might have found a great one for you. Feast your eyes down below on The Kinky Reggae Doesn't it look simply delicious?
Let the kinky reggae be the signature drink at your cocktail hour. It's simple to make too. It's made of lemonade & iced tea & raspberry vodka. Doesn't it sound delicious? Let me get back to business here. Take a listen down below to these great reggae selections for your Charleston wedding playlist.
Download These Reggae Songs From Charleston Wedding DJ Mike Bills On Spotify.
Need some ideas on how to put together a playlist for your wedding? I have you covered. Putting all these playlists over on Spotify profile is one of the biggest ways that I get to cater to the modern bride and groom. If reggae is not your thing, you'll have the chance to peruse numerous other playlists designed to give you inspiration on selecting your wedding music. All you need to do is head over to Spotify and just search for DJ Mike Bills. If Spotify is not your thing, you can listen to the songs on this post by clicking the links in the title and be taken over to You Tube.
"Pressure Drop" Toots & The Maytals 1969
Rolling Stone magazine rated this song at Number 453 out of 500 on the greatest songs of all time. The song also helped launch the band's success away from Jamaica.
"Pass The Dutchie" Musical Youth 1982
This song was released back in September of 1982 and was one of the early iconic music videos during the early years of MTV. If you are a fan of the Wedding Singer, you may have remembered this song appeared on the soundtrack.
"Close To You" Maxi Priest 1990
This song broke on the radio back in the summer of 1990, and was all over MTV too. As summer turned into fall, "Close To You" peaked at Number 6 on the Billboard charts. I've been lucky enough to grab many remixes of this song. It's a definite must for a reggae cocktail hour.
"I Can See Clearly Now" Jimmy Cliff 1993
Back in 1993, reggae musician Jimmy Cliff did an amazing "reggae-infused" cover of the 1972 smash hit by Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now". The song appeared on the Cool Runnings movie soundtrack and is such a relaxing song. If you are feeling down and depressed, put this song on and you'll start to feel a little better. This classic Johnny Nash cover also appears on my Best Charleston Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist.
"Could You Be Loved" Bob Marley & The Wailers 1980
To say that Bob Marley was "iconic" in the world of reggae would be putting it mildly. This song came out on the Wailers last record in 1980 titled Uprising. Absolutely perfect for any Charleston wedding cocktail hour playlist.
"Black Roses" Barrington Levy 1982
Levy became one of the biggest Jamaican stars in the early 1980s after he had achieved success with his band the Mighty Multitude in the later part of the 1970s.
Red Red Wine UB 40 1988
Originally written by the great Neil Diamond in 1967, UB40 did an excellent reggae cover of it that reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in the fall of 1988. In the case for your cocktail hour, let's maybe save the red wine for dinner and stick to a nice reggae cocktail :) "Red Red Wine" was one of the biggest songs of 1988 and you can learn more about this great year in 80s music by clicking on this link.
"I'm Free" Soup Dragons With Junior Reid 1990
The Soup Dragons are an alternative band from Scotland that covered the classic Rolling Stones song "I'm Free". This version features another great reggae musician, Junior Reid
"Wild World" Maxi Priest 1988
Great cover of the classic 1970 song by Cat Stevens with a reggae vibe to it. It only hit the Top 25 in America, but went all the way to the Top 5 in Great Britain.
"Boombastic" Shaggy 1995
We go back to the mid 90s for this next song. It samples Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", and reached all the way to Number 3 on the Billboard charts. I'll play the original Marvin Gaye toward the end of the night for you.
"Rude" Magic 2013
This was debut single from that had a reggae infused vibe, and it reached all the way yo Number 1 in America, but only Number 6 in their home country of Canada.
"Get Busy" Sean Paul 2003
This is a great party song with that reggae vibe to throw duirng your cocktail hour to loosen up your guests after the wedding ceremony. Definitely a song you'd want to listen to with a nice reggae cocktail.
"In The Summertime" Rayvon 1995
The album was Boombastic and it was released back in 1995. Shaggy did an excellent job at this classic 1970 Mungo Jerry cover. If you are a Baywatch fan, you might have remembered him performing this song on an episode. This cover was the first song to be released from the album and would peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as #1 on the Hot R&B chart.
"Stargazer" Thievery Corporation 2011
Take a listen to this song and you'll see why I might do a post about an all Thievery Corporation cocktail hour. Thievery Corporation is an electronic music duo out of the DC area and this track has that reggae-infused vibe as well.
"Buffalo Soldier" Bob Marley & The Wailers
"Buffalo Soldier" was be released after Marley's death in 1983. The song would become one of his many signature songs. "Buffalo Soldier" can be found on the album Confrontation and would peak at #3 in New Zealand.
Interested in Speaking With Mike Bills About Being Your Wedding DJ?
Wow! That was so awesome! I'm glad I thought about this theme for another one of my Charleston Wedding DJ playlist ideas for the cocktail hour. Now, I'll patiently wait til we get some warmer weather back into Charleston in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, thank you very much for finding me and this blog and since you made it all the end of this post, that must mean you enjoyed it. It is a passion of mine to supply my prospective brides and clients with fresh content up on my website. If you are interested in learning more about me, feel to free to click back over to other sections of my blog. Are you getting married in 2020 or beyond and beginning to search for your wedding vendors? Click on the link up above to be taken over to my contact form to fill out your information so we can set up a time to talk about your wedding.
DJ Mike delivered well organized and orchestrated results that made for a great wedding and reception! Couldn't have picked a better DJ to cover our event and truly appreciated his availability to pick up the job and execute in such a short time period. I highly recommend his services, overall great quality.
Reggae (/ˈrɛɡeɪ/) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora.[1] A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first popular song to use the word reggae, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.[2][3] Reggae is rooted out from traditional Jamaican Kumina, Pukkumina, Revival Zion, Nyabinghi, and burru drumming. Jamaican reggae music evolved out of the earlier genres mento, ska and rocksteady.[4] Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political commentary.[5] It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.[6]
Stylistically, reggae incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento (a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted chanteys of local church singing),[7] calypso,[8] and also draws influence from traditional African folk rhythms. One of the most easily recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. The tempo of reggae is usually slower-paced than both ska and rocksteady.[9] The concept of call and response can be found throughout reggae music. The genre of reggae music is led by the drum and bass.[10][11] Some key players in this sound are Jackie Jackson from Toots and the Maytals,[12] Carlton Barrett from Bob Marley and the Wailers,[13] Lloyd Brevett from the Skatalites,[14] Paul Douglas from Toots and the Maytals,[15] Lloyd Knibb from the Skatalites,[16] Winston Grennan,[17] Sly Dunbar,[18] and Anthony "Benbow" Creary from the Upsetters.[19] The bass guitar often plays the dominant role in reggae. The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower frequencies emphasized. The guitar in reggae usually plays on the offbeat of the rhythm. It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects. Reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics,[20] although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as love and socializing.