| In
these last two days of 2004, I'm working
over-time to get stuff done before the end
of the year. Obviously, and of course, this
includes looking back and forward in this
update.
LOOKING AT 2004
Since the website started in 1997,
there hasn't been a year with so little
updating and releasing of material as the
year 2004.
Financial problems almost caused the
website to go off-line. Not once, but
several times! Fortunately, this is all over
now.
Even stronger: the threat has been
reversed and now there are more perspectives
then there were before. So the year 2004
really was crucial in the story of the
Dubroom. And the month of October marked the
turning point.
Behind-the-scenes, I was working on the
new lay-out of the website. Something which
could only be done off-line, as it wasn't
only the lay-out (look) of the Dubroom. The
whole navigation through the website has
been changed, and is simply incompatible
with the previous navigation.
MORE ON
THE SUBJECT
LOOKING AT 2005
For 2005, the plan is to double the
contents of the website. More reviews, more
links, more of everything! And that
obviously includes music coming straight out
of the Dubroom Studio.
LOOKING AT THE MUSIC
Reggae Music can't dead, and will be
spreading the good vibes all over in 2005 as
well.
The Dubroom will be actively taking part
in this tradition too. And not only by
reviewing the good works of artists. We'll
be putting loads of new material online:
words and sounds!
And we keep looking the whole spectrum of
Reggae Music. Not only the known names, not
only a specific group with a specific
religion or ideology, not only the online
artists, but everything which has to do with
High Quality (DUB) Regg
LOOKING AT THE ONLINE ARTISTS AND
THEIR LISTENERS
When MP3.com ceased to exist, the online
artist community lost it's central point.
But, maybe scattered, the movement isn't
dead.
The Dubroom has always scanned the
Internet for the gems from the online
artists and will continue to do so. We
attempt to gather the music that the
Industry scattered over the many sites.
LOOKING AT VERSIONIST
There is another site which also aims at
this , albeit in a very different way. And
in this update, I would like to give them
extra respect for this.
There are still a lot of artists putting
their music online, and for the Reggae
community there's a very active website
called VERSIONIST. The website is created by
a visitor of the Dubroom and is actively
promoted from here as well.
Why? Simple. VERSIONIST is the only
website on the Internet that deals with the
online (DUB) Reggae Music community and
nothing but the online (DUB) Reggae Music
community.
According to the site's front page,
Versionist is "a website dedicated to
the development of progressive Reggae music.
But more importantly, this is a project that
aims to encourage everyone to make Reggae
music."
VERSIONIST.com is dynamic and has a
strong community of participants and
visitors. Their forum contains discussions
about a wide variety of topics.
The Dubroom will continue to promote
VERSIONIST, which isn't so hard when you
know that there are some true gems to be
found there, some really original material
as well.
LOOKING AT RADIO DUBROOM
Radio Dubroom will move to a next phase
as well. Not only good music, but also
sounds which have been reviewed on the
website will be played. And we have obtained
permission to use professional journalistic
works as well. We hope to proof our slogan:
"If you like the Dubroom, you will love
Radio Dubroom".
LOOKING AT VIDEOS
As the internet and Computer Technology
moves forward, the year 2005 will most
likely mark the start of a video portal in
the tradition of mp3.dubroom.org but this is
absolutely not in any final stage!
LOOKING AT CONSCIOUSNESS
Ever since the Dubroom was established, in
1997, there has been a mix of Music and
Consciousness on the website. In 2004, it's
been made official in the website's
description: "The Dubroom is an
independent visitor supported website
promoting Reggae and Consciousness."
Reggae Music is music with a Conscious
Message. So in a way, promotion of Reggae
brings Consciousness along as a matter of
natural fact.
But we take it several steps further and
provide information which proofs the
truthfulness of the many Conscious claims
you can find in Rasta (or related) Reggae.
And we do it in the Rastaman tradition.
Not in no Church or Babylon tradition.
Rastaman says: "Word, Sound and
Power"!
We simply provide the information, which
we hope you check out for yourself. Don't
take anything for granted!
Truth speaks for itself. The minute you
apply manipulation or other marketing
technologies, you're hurting the truth!
Truth can only speak in truth. So we present
material which promotes Consciousness
without telling you to look at it or believe
it.
LOOKING AT CHRISTAFARI BOOK
Together with the major site-update, came a
book I wrote about the organization "Christafari".
In it, I questioned methods and other
aspects of the organization. This has caused
quite an uproar in "Gospel Reggae
Land", and even outside of it.
Originally, I only wanted to release the
book and debate about it on the Christafari
message boards. However, Christafari didn't
agree with that. The developments followed
rapidly and now there's a "Great
Controversy".
I am writing as follow-up for the book,
which will be released in February the
latest. Until then, there is a website on
the Dubroom (crc.dubroom.org) where the
developments are covered and research
material is presented. Later in 2005, that
website will change and will no longer have
Christafari as the main subject. But until
then, crc.dubroom.org is the website that
accompanies the books on Christafari.
LOOKING FORWARD
All in all, we here at the Dubroom are
exited about the new plans and challenges we
have to face in 2005. As time progresses and
the events around (DUB) Reggae and the
message it brings follow each other rapidly,
we'll keep documenting this for the now and
-hopefully- then generation.
I hope, that DUBROOM.com will be of
assistance to you, somewhere and sometime.
Whether you are a (DUB) Reggae enthusiast or
into Consciousness or both (or none...).
In name of the entire DUBROOM POSSE: we
wish to you a JAHFULL 2005 and an
ever-growing collection of music reviewed
and/or provided by I and I.
One Love,
Messian Dread
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