Linval Thompson ADD

Burning Spear Headlines Reggae Geel 2023

04/26/2023 by Press Release

First Names Reggae Geel 2023 are out!
Reggae Geel pulls out all the stops for our very first 2023 edition lineup announcement. The lineup will be completed in May, but our audience can already brace themselves for a majestic mix of legendary icons, talented young wolves – and a surprising oddball in our Bounce Dancehall.

Main Stage : Grammy Winners & Legends
Headlining the Main Stage Saturday (August 5th) is the honorable Burning Spear. This icon’s career was launched at the advice of none other than Bob Marley himself! He gifted the world with such classics as “Man in the Hills” and “Slavery Days” – and has collected two Grammy awards to show for it. The man said goodbye to life on the road 10 years ago but happily makes an exception for Reggae Geel.

Next up: Tarrus Riley--undisputed champion of modern-day reggae worldwide. A force of nature on stage, and the creative mastermind behind hits like “She’s Royal” and “Gimme Likkle One Drop”. His performances are always borderline arsonist: so hot you'll think the roof’s on fire.

Kabaka Pyramid is a young wolf ready to blast you away. He collected his first Grammy award recently for his album The Kalling. He’s highly popular due to his swinging hits bursting with hip-hop influences, tasty riddims, and that unprecedented raw-sweet voice of his.

Hear those cotton-candy sweet “ooh-ooohs” at the beginning of No Woman, No Cry? Yeah, that’s Marcia Griffiths. Originally one of Bob Marley’s three backing vocalists, she cemented a solo career so solid few can claim to match her greatness. Make sure to chuck “Young, Gifted and Black” – her duet with the late Bob Andy – and “Feel Like Jumping” on your Saturday night Spotify playlist!

Main Stage line-up is completed by Johnny Osbourne – the Godfather of Dancehall -, Lone Ranger, Tanya Stephens, Yaksta en Micah Shemaiah. Oh yeah!

Bounce Dancehall: sizzling hot party vibes
Our Bounce Dancehall tent is traditionally covered in sweat the first weekend of August—this hot lineup will undoubtedly achieve that this year. A blazing mix of international geniuses, local gems, and the occasional maverick.

Chi Ching Ching crosses the ocean to smash Reggae Geel’s dancehall tent to absolute madness with his unique track show. Whenever he’s not on tour or in the studio with Sean Paul, he’s making waves with his own career. Think: hot-blooded beats, contagious toasting, and hyperactive riddims with a laid-back side dish to pour ice on those scorching crowds.

Seani B makes his mark in the UK as DJ, producer, and presenter of Seani B Mixlab on BBC One. Stringing together his awards would blind the eye like a Bling Bling chain. He created remixes for Lauryn Hill, Pras, Sugababes, and Shaggy–never once disappointing. He’s bound to shatter our Bounce into absolute bliss.

Discobaar A Moeder at Reggae Geel? Jah Man! This here craze discotheque juggles a criminally insane combo of absurdities, indestructible evergreens, and out-of-this-world outfits. Today, they step onto the holy ground of Reggae Geel to unleash their tricks on the genre it all started out with for them: sweet, sweet reggae and dancehall music.

Herb-A-Lize It, Soulshakers and High Grade Sound are ready to roll. Rockefella Babe and Millinguap, provide the Tropical Thunder to make this party legendary.

Dub Forest : blast the bass!
The bass in our Dub Forest has the tendency to vibrate all precious earth minerals out of the soil. Sky-high speaker stacks and majestic towering trees are the backdrop for a weekend packed with hypnotizing echoes and pounding bass lines.

Mad Professor – the late Lee Perry’s trusted sidekick – will blow our Dub Forest to the next dimension for sure. This reggae-royal isn’t only a phenomenal artist, he’s an otherworldly talented producer too, making waves both inside and outside the reggae world. He’s the one who gifted greats like Sadé, The Orb, Massive Attack, and Grace Jones their signature sounds.

Roberto Sanchez and Linval Thompson croon, toast, and sing the festivities to a boiling point. They’ve got a back catalog of precious gems and a distinctly impressive sound at their disposal.

King Shiloh – the unparalleled Dutch sound system – is of the party once again, bringing their home-built speaker wall for the Saturday festivities. They’ll be accompanied by talented singer Papa Ricoh.

On the menu too: King Alpha Soundsystem from London, home-grown Uptown Hi-Fi, and the Belgian trailblazers Metta Frequencies.

Reggae Geel 2023 : different face, same personality

We don’t object to the occasional facelift. Reggae Geel has given itself a brand-new face this year. A totally new home brand, a freshly squeezed website, and social media bubbling like Alka-Seltzer in water on a Sunday morning.

Ready for another 45 years of reggae, dancehall, dub, and mouthwatering Afrobeats and urban sweets.

FRIDAY - AUGUST 4, 2023