Dateline: 04/05/01 Venue: Brixton Recreation Centre

Yes me friends, me good friends we were at Brixton Rec again, forwarding Jah vibe.
We turned up early as usual to make sure that any technical problems were ironed out.
Blood set up the stall as I with soldering iron and a bag of components slaved over an electronic repair.

Iration Steppas were setting up too and going through the same procedure as ourselves, just making sure their set was right.
Come 2015 and both Steppas and ourselves were finishing off sound checking to be ready for the start time of 2100.
The doors opened early and the light went down and with no Tubb's in sight the session started.
Just Aba and Iration.

A nice little vibe was running as Aba and Iration played small 10-12minute segments.
The place was filling up nicely and the crowd were getting into deep meditation mode.
Iration asked Aba over the mic if he knew where Tubb's was, but he didn't ?

2345:The place is jammed and 'tings are run' when I looked over to the fire escape doors which have glass panels, to see a bobbing head. Blood gets up from his seat and goes over to see was is occurring and yes people you've guessed it, it was one of Tubb's people trying to attract attention.
Tubb's had just arrived!
The lights now go back on as Tubby's sound is carried into the hall and strung up.
Forcing people who had laid claim to a piece of the dance floor to move.

Goodbye mellow vibe, and for the next 45 minutes,welcome to chaos.

For the last 3 hours Aba and Iration had been creating a vibe moving the crowd in an ever upward direction only for it to be destroyed by the very late arrival of Tubb's.
Tubb's arrived at about the same time in the session back in November 2000.
This is not meant as a rebuke to Tubb's, but as a statement of fact!

0110:The session now gets back into synch and the sounds play two two till it done.

Iration ran some lively 'Nucleus Roots' dubs (me bredrins Juno & crew from Manchester) and some mediation style 'Sandino'.
He also played some dark,dark tunes which wouldn't have been out of place at a funeral.
Aba remarked as such when he said over the mic:
"Liven up the dance Mark. This is not a funeral, but a celebration".
He also ran a newscast type tune about 'Foot & Mouth' which made the French person I was talking at the time, turn to me and exclaim "What"!

Tubb's ran couple tune and his mic men were in their element.

Aba played some 'Nucleus Roots' / 'Blood Shanti' / Ras Ites / Sister Aisha and nuff UK artists.

From the last dance I told you the episode about me trying to get a drink to relate to you how the dance was ram. Well this time I will relate to you this:

I was running our stall at the far end of the hall.
I went to give a man change of £20 and when I took the notes out of the pouch to give to him, they were damp! I put my hand on the brick faced wall and that too was damp!
That's how much condenstation the crowd of people generated by dancing.
So you know the place was jumping.

If you weren't there, you missed another crucial session. Don't miss the next Brixton session.

Raspects going out to:Uncle festa & Ali, Juno & crew (thanks for the dubplates), Tim and the ever present Heidi (sorry I couldn't stop and chat),The Italian, Dutch, Japanese and French posses (who it is always a pleasure to see), Iration & Rootical (keep up Jah vibes), Conquerer, Sister Aisha and Gabriel Selassie (Rocker's S/S), Raymond Judah & crew, Ras Natural, Charles, Aba Shanti-ites one & all, Ras-Ites, Negus, Barry, Major Hotlips, Tubb's & crew (nice sound,but come earlier), Trinity, The Rock & his lady, Desmond, Kenty & Bula (yes me friends I am still doing Roots music). Christian De Sousa (long time bredrin, longtime), Sweet T, Gemmi, Zebby, Left Teat and Rock Darta................To all who were present, Jah Bless.

Photos from the tour.

But we were happy with the songs already compiled for the album. It wouldn't have made a great deal of change on the cd due the amount of time on a cd.We could have added them to the cd and put out the vinyl as was.But this would have cheated the fans that don't possess a cd player.
So it was decided to include these new tracks on the vinyl, which has to be recompiled and remastered with the new tracks.
I hope this clears up that question for those people that have asked and those that have wondered.

The first 'University Of Dub' of the new year between Aba & Iration Steppas from Leeds was a wicked success.Both Iration and ourselves were set up and running long before doors opened at 2200.

We had situated the record stall at the far end of the hall and it was difficult to judge the amount of people in the place.But when I went far a wander round at 00:20 it was then that I realised that the place was jammed. A serious crowd of people.

People had travelled from far and wide:
The mystical Japanese warrior, a man who I had seen on the video of Aba's trip to Japan last year came by and said hello.
Fred from Holland (I hope you didn't miss your flight home?).
Ldm from Italy.The French massive and others European dub crews who stopped by the stall to say "Hi".
Also Isham who I first met at Southall a few years ago and who has travelled all over the world to listen to Aba. if Aba is there and he can make it, he is there. Raspect Isham and I hope you enjoy seeing Aba in Japan in March 2001.

People if you missed this dance you missed a killer session. The vibe as always was special and the place was rocking. Good music was played by both Aba & Iration and the crowd responsed.

It was "Love Inna de house",in the words of Aba and "Vibes" in the words of Mark Iration.

To show how good the night was, I went to get a cold beer from the bar and a little pattie or something to eat at around 02:40. But when I got there the bar had sold out of alcohol and only had soft drinks left and the food was done! Even though a lot of alcohol was consumed by the people, there was no trouble.

So I bought a soft drink and made my back to the stall through the 'crowd of people'.

At the end of the night 06:15 in the morning as Aba finished playing the last tune for the session,there was aprox 150-200 still there dancing and as Aba signed off they all started applauding and whistling.

I have seen this reaction in Europe and Israel and outside London when Aba has ended the session,but I have never seen it in a London session, or at least not so many people and most of them I did not recognise as regular Aba Shanti-Ites.
These were a different set of people who had "Heard The Music & Felt The Vibe".

Raspect to all that attended and contributed to such an uplifting night. To those already mentioned above and to the following: Dennis, Andrew, Ras Natural, Rootical, Sister Milly, Tribulation, Mark (Major Hotlips), Charles, Gemmi, Sweet T, Marshall, Colin, Zak, Chris, Stevie and to all those I have failed to mention, but you and I know who you are.

One Love The Humble Lion

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