Etna Kontrabande ADD

World Reggae Contest 2016 - Meet The Finalists... ETNA KONTRABANDE

08/08/2016 by Gardy Stein

The World Reggae Contest 2016 is up and running, and Reggaeville presents the five finalists that made it through the application process and the public voting. Of the five bands that will play on Ostroda Reggae Festival's main stage on Sunday, August 14th, Etna Kontrabande is the one representing Poland in the contest.

Founded in 1999, they can look back to four studio albums (To Zion in 2001, Towards The Sun in 2004, Political Ganja in 2007, and Freestyle in 2015) and more than 600 live shows. Jarosław "JaRas" Pacanek (vocals, guitar), Łukasz "Golas" Godlewski (vocals, sampler), Agnieszka Kozieł-Pacanek (vocals, keys), Piotr "Turbin" Urbanowicz (sax), Adam "Moto" Jankowski (trombone), Marcin "Fifa" Fifielski (trumpet), Marcin "Siekier" Siekierka (bass), Piotr "Brajan" Brajewski (percussions) and Marcin "Kruko" Krukowski (guitar) create a lively mix of Rock, Reggae and Ska music that will certainly get the festival visitors in a dancing mood. Read what they themselves say about the upcoming show:

1. Your connection to Poland:
According to our experience, the Polish audience is very open-minded. We think that our band will be positively received and it will bring a lot of fun both for the band and for the audience.

2. What can people in Ostroda expect when you appear on stage? What does your live performance look, feel and sound like?
Every concert is a big event for us. Every time we play with full commitment and we are trying to infect people with positive energy. Our music triggers many emotions which we all want to share with people. Very important is our message in which we pay attention to the problems which we encounter on a daily basis, although there are also more dance, less reflective pieces. :)

3. Why do you deserve to win the contest?
Playing along with each other is huge part of our lives. It takes a lot of our hard work and time to keep our music and concerts on a high level. Also, we cannot forget about the lyrics, which is extremely important. We want our music to have a clear message and to be based on the values that are important to us. We don't have a manager or promoter that directs our career, so it is difficult for us. All the success we owe to our own activities and hard work. To win the contest may allow our music to reach a wider audience. Besides, we have a lot of interesting projects that await implementation.

4. If you are the lucky winner of the contest, you will have the chance to record at a studio in Jamaica. What does this mean to you? Do you have plans for that recording session already? Share your thoughts…
It would be a great event for us, because we didn't have the opportunity to realize our projects abroad. We are open to interesting solutions and will be happy to get new experiences. As of today, we have prepared quite a lot of material. We have ready, arranged songs that are waiting for recording.

5. If you could choose freely, who would join you in the studio to record a feature/ combination track and why?
There are many such people, but undoubtedly an artist that has left a great impression on us for years on the stage is Luciano. The timbre of his voice and manner of singing are reminiscent of the unforgettable Dennis Brown. And that's why we would gladly want to see him in our new material. We also like a lot the unbelievable flow and energy of Jr. Gong or Sizzla, to name a few.