Alpha Steppa: Collision of an Ancient Mind and a Modern World

I am fascinated by the meditative, melancholic and profound sound of Alpha Steppa. The DNA of father and aunt, of Alpha & Omega, is unmistakable, and there is hardly a current Dub-Artist with such a unique signature sound. Mad Professor used to be similarly recognizable - and of course Alpha & Omega. With his style, Alpha Steppa clearly sets himself apart from the conventional Steppers scene, but at the same time remains 100% sound system compatible. Even when listening attentively with headphones, his music has a lot to offer: It is multi-layered, complex and never boring. In addition, the heir to the throne has Dub-Dynasty had a brilliant hand for gifted vocal artists. Nai-Jah was such a discovery for me, but also Awa Fall and Wellette Seyon, with whom he released complete solo albums. His new album "Collision of an Ancient Mind and a Modern World“ (Steppas) impresses again with great vocal tunes. In the digital version, the album is divided into two parts: Disc 1 contains twelve vocal tunes, including Joe Yorke, Tanganyika, Sheila Langa, Fikir Amlak and Ras Tinny in an acapella solo. Disc 2 then delivers the Dub-versions after. “This album features some of my favorite voices in contemporary reggae and beyond, from Jamaica, the UK, Zimbabwe, the Seychelles, Brazil, the USA, Senegal, Italy, and Spain,” explains the Dub-Producer. “With this record I set out to build a unique sound and atmosphere, the idea was to blend the rich heritage of dub with a vibrant, futuristic musical landscape.” I have no objections to the topic of “atmosphere” – on the contrary: it is always the atmosphere of his music that captivates and fascinates me. However, if you think of “futuristic musical landscape” as influences from different musical cultures, you are wrong in my opinion. Everything here is 100 percent reggae and Dub and typical Alpha Steppa sound. Nevertheless, the vocalists deliver really good songs across the board. Every single track presents a sophisticated melody, and almost all of them even shine with clever, socially critical lyrics that go beyond typical reggae themes. Perhaps the album title is also aimed at this socially critical tone, because left-wing attitudes aimed at justice and diversity are unmistakably becoming increasingly rare in our modern world.