Monkey Bar, Swansea
Fri 7 Oct
“This could turn Hare Krishna into a badboy.” General Levy should have a special place in the heart of Welsh ravers since his collaboration with M-Beat, Incredible, soundtracked that classic jungle scene from Human Traffic, shot in Cardiff’s now defunct Catapult Records. It’s seemingly Wales’ second city that is showing him love though, with his second Swansea appearance this year.
That tune was actually the first jungle track to chart in the UK Top 10, so this is undeniably an important guy. Coming up in London’s West Indian, Asian and Africa communities, General Levy was raised on soul, ska, hip-hop and calypso. From the age of 14 he formed a soundsystem crew and was throwing parties in the city, and his first reggae record came out in 1989. He started out as a ‘deejay’ in the Jamaican sense of the word, meaning that he provides a vocal for instrumental tracks, rather than being a selector, which was what they call DJs in Jamaica – got it?
He went on to release raga, hip-hop and dancehall for Tim Westwood’s Justice Records and others in the early 90s, sometimes in collaboration with Capleton – even knocking out a pure fire dancehall flip of Phil Collins at one point. In the years since being claimed by the jungle scene, General Levy has worked with the likes of Sly & Robbie, Shaggy, Steely & Clevie and Artful Dodger.
Tickets: £8. Info: 01792 480822
words GWYN THOMAS DE CHROUSTCHOFF