Aba Shanti-I (born Joseph Smith) is a sound system operator and dub producer from the UK. Aba and his sound system have been playing through UK and Europe for over 30 years. He has been a resident sound system at Notting Hill Carnival since 1993 and was voted the No. 1 DJ in the World by

DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

in the same year.

Early life

Joseph Smith was born in Hackney, London, UK of Antiguan parents, who immigrated to the UK in the 1960s. He was first introduced to

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

music by his father Alan Smith, who himself ran a sound system called Count Alan in the 1960s.

Sound system career

While

deejaying A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

for the Jah Tubby's sound system, Aba Shanti-I was known as Jasmine Joe. In 1990, Aba took over the running of the Jah Tubby's sound system, debuting at the Leicester carnival. Since then, Aba Shanti-I and his sound system play regularly in the UK, with residencies at the Notting Hill Carnival since 1993, Leicester Carnival and the University of Dub. The sound system has also played in Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain.

Recording career

Aba Shanti-I has produced and recorded with his brother and the band the Shanti-Ites, releasing records on their own Falasha imprint. Their first record, Tear Down Babylon was released in 1993. Aba Shanti-I currently has a studio on Morning Lane, Hackney.

Singles

* Tear Down Babylon (1993) * The Zulu Warrior (1994) * Positive Vibration (1995) * Children of the Most High (1996) * The Position Vibration (1999) * Jah Liveth (2000) * Love in the Ghetto (2000) * What A Gwan (2004) * Father Give Life (2004) * Behold (with Prince Malachi, 2004) * Inna Sanctuary (with Shandi-I, 2005) * Every Day (2005) * Revelation Time (with Shandi-I, 2008) * Digital Children (with Sister Miriam, 2008) * Youth Man (with Emmanuel Joseph, 2009) * Rastaman (with Emmanuel Joseph, 2009) * Our Father (with Jackie B and Sister Miriam, 2012) * Babylon Falling (2013)

Albums

* Wrath of Jah Verse I (1996) * Pure Spirit (1996) * Jah Lightning and Thunder (1996) * Rasta Soul-Jah (with Ras Iyah, 1997) * Jericho Walls (1999) * Undiluted * Psalms From The Heart (with Emmanuel Joseph, 2010) * Inna Sanctuary (with Shandi-I, 2011) * The Whole of Me – Testament I & II (with Blood Shanti, 2014)

Style

Aba Shanti-I sound system plays music in the roots reggae and dub style. He cites,

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

Junior Delgado Oscar Hibbert (25 August 1958 – 11 April 2005),Greene, Jo-AnnJunior Delgado Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2016 better known as Junior Delgado, was a reggae singer, famed for his roots style. Biography Born in 1958 in Kingston, Jamai ...

Yabby You Vivian Jackson (14 August 1946 – 12 January 2010), better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising, self-produced work. Biography Jac ...

and

Prince Lincoln Prince Lincoln Thompson, known as Sax (10 July 1949
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...

as inspiration. The original tracks are usually supplemented by reverb, delays and effects to generate his distinctive sound.

Notable residencies

* Notting Hill Carnival The sound system has been resident at the Carnival since 1993. It was originally situated on Powys Road, moving to Springbrook Road, then Southern Row; the system is currently situated on the corner between Southern and East Row. * University of Dub Aba Shanti-I was a founder sound system of the University of Dub in the late 1990s and has been a regular ever since.

Family

Aba Shanti-I's brother, Blood Shanti, is a drummer and vocalist, contributing to both Aba Shanti-I's recordings and live performances. Aba Shanti-I also has a son who accompanies him to many of the shows. His son is a drummer in the band Six Soldiers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanti-I, Aba English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent People from Hackney Central Dub musicians English reggae musicians Sound systems Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

External Links

Gregory Whitfield's interview with Aba Shanti Sound System