Australia has an addiction. An addiction that we’ve been unable to shake off. An addiction that seems to be crippling young local musicians mostly from the inner centres of Sydney and Melbourne. The offending substance of this addiction? Roots music.
Exclusive Report: Centre and The South premiere their latest single Inner City Paradise – a new and dangerously feelgood roots single from Melbourne.
Addiction works by creating a dependency on a substance, users gradually requiring a larger dose each time they use the substance in question. Centre and the South are the dealers that are providing the highest quality, dankest roots music around, so it’s no surprise that their latest single Inner City Paradise gives a little more of a roots high than the average street rasta.
Put simply, Inner City Paradise contains a dangerous amount of good vibes, enough to force policy makers to rethink how we classify the control of roots and reggae music. Type A roots music is generally reserved for the golden age of rastafari recordings from ’66 to ’79, while local roots influenced blues or folk (see Saskwatch or Lime Cordiale) is considered a Class C, among genres like high school ska and uke-core.
We spoke to Victorian chief of police Ken D. Lay about the rise of Centre and the South, and has said that “Inner City Paradise is proof that roots music is a present danger in the inner city youth communities. Not only do the funky, compressed guitar riffs and offbeat key stabs release dopamine into the brain making, but the themes of togetherness and community certainly present a slippery slope towards a happier, more carefree world”.
“This is not something that we want to promote in Australian culture” Lay continues. “Reliance on roots and reggae to feel good is something entrenched in the youth of today, and we need new policies on this funky, upbeat music to show that, no, you don’t need to have a brass section in your band to be happy. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, we saw a notable decrease in the popularity of peaceful and convivial live music, and it’s worrying to see a resurgence in its performance throughout 2014”.
Another issue the chief of police brought up was the use of roots and reggae in clubs and public spaces. Centre and the South, for example, are notorious for clutching intimacy yet highly energetic performances emanating an ambience of peace and spirituality.
The band are currently in the lab producing thier first LP due out early 2015, from which Inner City Paradise has been taken. If you’d like to catch them in the action and get a slice of this sweet sweet roots music, they’ll be launching this dangerously feelgood single at the Evelyn Hotel this Thursday, alongside T-Rhythm and Kattimoni. More deets here.
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