The John Sinclair Foundation Presents
Riddem On The Wire
Cafe The Zen
Friday, Sept 3, 2010 @ 14:00 – 16:00[03-09-10]
.Amsterdam,NL.
Recorded on this nice sunny afternoon from Cafe The Zen here in the “Oost” of amsterdam.
BIG JOHN & INSPECTA ROBY: RIDDEM ON THE WIRE
AROUND 1980 YOUNG JOHN STARTS TO COLLECT REGGAE MUSIC TRU THE INSPIRATION OF HIS DEAR MOTHER, ‘CAUSE SHE PLAYED A LOT OF SOUL, CALYPSO, RHYTEM & BLUES AND SOME REGGAE MUSIC IN THEIR HOME.
BEING A STUDENT AT A TECHNICAL SCHOOL YOUNG JOHN GOT IN TOUCH WITH SOME RASTAFARIANS WHO SHARED THE SAME CLASS IN SCHOOL AND WERE EVEN PERSECUTED OF THEIR DREADLOOKS BY NUFF TEACHERS. THEY INVITED JOHN TO GATHERINGS AND REASONINGS AND GUIDE HIM TRU THE TEACHINGS OF RASTAFARI. STARTING BY TELLING HIM THAT THESE TEACHINGS WHERE NOT THEIRS BUT FROM HIGHER FORCES THAT INSPIRED THEM TO LIVE UP WITHIN THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF NATURE AND JAH RASTAFARI WHO DWELLS THEREIN.
IN THOSE DAYS JOHN ALSO GOT INTRODUCED TO SOUNDSYSTEMS THAT PLAYED IN AMSTERDAM TOWN IN PLACES LIKE BLACKA ROOTOE BY THE LEIDSPLEIN, ZIONHUT ON THE LOOIERSGRACHT AND THE CLUBS LIKE STIP AND DE KROEG WHERE HE STARTED TO SELECT MUSIC ALONGSIDE SISTER NANCY,WHO WAS A RECORD SELLER IN THE FIRST REGGAESHOP IN AMSTERDAM AND HAD STRAIGHT LINKS WITH JAMAICA AND WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR PARADISO’S DUBCLUB WITH TELEREGGAE HIFI SOUNDSYSTEM WITH ZEBULON AS THE SELECTER.
IN THOSE TIMES ALOT OF BROTHERS START TO BUILD THEIR OWN SOUNDSYSTEMS LIKE YOUTHMAN PROMOTION OWNED BY WAKKO AND KENNETH, SHASAMANIE SOUND OWNED BY DADDY HORACE AND JOHN LEVI WITH SUPA DAN AS MC, ECHOSONIC HIFI OWNED BY MAJOR RED AND INSPECTA ROBY WITH SIMEON AS MC, AND WE CAN’T FORGET KEES KUNTA KINTE AND PAPPA LODY—THOSE PEOPLE DEFINITELY SET THE TREND IN AMSTERDAM WHEN IT COMES TO REGGAE MUSIC.
IN EARLY DAYS YOU HAD ALSO A COUPLE OF GOOD REGGAE BANDS LIKE BOSRAH, COMUNICATION, UNITY ETC. THE ULTIMATE SOUNDSYSTEM EXPERIENCE WAS IN A CLUB CALLED 90 ON THE SCALE OF RICHTER WHEN THE MIGHTY KING OF SOUNDS SIR LLOYD COXSONE FROM LONDON PASSED TRU AND BLASTED THE CLUB WITH BASS.
IT’S 1985 AND YOUNG JOHN WENT TRU A LOT OF TRIBULATION BEING AN ONLY CHILD AND LOST HIS MOTHER IN THAT SAME YEAR. HE HAD SOME MONEY WHAT HIS MOTHER LEFT HIM AND WENT TO JAMAICA TO REST HIS WEARY HEAD AND LOOKED FOR INNER STRENGTH TO OVERCOME HIS SAD LOSS AND WAS WELCOMED BY THE RASTAFARIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE TO UPLIFT HIS CONSCIOUSNESS TO A HIGHER HEIGHTS.
JOHN STAYED IN DOWNTOWN KINGSTON AT CHANCERY LANE AT THE VINEYARD NEAR AFRICAN MUSEUM AND TECHNIQUES RECORD SHOP AND RANDY’S RECORD SHOP AT NORTH PARADE JUST AROUND THE CORNER. BEING AT HOTSPOTS OF NUFF ARTISTS, HE GOT IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF ARTISTS LIKE BIG YOUTH, ROD TAYLOR, WINSTON JARRETT, BERNARD “SATTA” COLLINS, VICEROYS, TAMLINS, GREGORY ISAACS, TOO MUCH TO MENTION, BUT WINSTON JARRETT WAS A SPECIAL MAN. HE TOOK JOHN TRU THE GHETTO OF KINGSTON AND GOT HIM A LOT OF SINGLES THAT WERE SOLD BY SOUNDSYSTEM OWNERS, OLD ELECTRICAL SHOPS AND RECORD SHOPS AND SOMETIMES BY THE ARTIST HIMSELF. THAT’S HOW HE MET MICHAEL PROPHET, GEORGE FAITH, TAMLINS AND BRENT DOWE OF THE MELODIANS.
AFTER A TIME HE LEFT THE TOWN AND WENT TO COUNTRY AND STAYED FOR A TIME IN MAY PENN AND GOT IN TOUCH WITH SOME ELDERS OF THE NAYABINGHY ORDER WHO TOOK HIM TO HIS FIRST NAYABINGHY CELEBRATION AND THAT WAS AT POORTLAND COTAGE AND WAS A TRUE EXPERIENCE OF TRUE LOVE AND HARMONY AND ORDER AMONGST PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONS.
AFTER SPENDING ALOMOST 4 MONTHS IN JAMAICA IT WAS ALREADY 1986 AND TIME TO GO BACK HOME, CHARGED WITH GOOD ENERGY TO OVERCOME NUFF BOUNDRIES. BEING BACK HE STARTED TO SELECT WITH SOME PIRATE RADIO STATIONS, HE PLAYED WITH RADIO DISCO ACTION, SATELITE RADIO, ETC. HE PLAYED WITH THEM UNTIL 1987, WHEN HE MET INPECTA ROBY. HE PLAYED TOGETHER WITH MARC WALLBOOMERS ON PATAPOE RADIO WITH RIDDEM ON THE WIRE EVERY SUNDAY AFFERNOON, BUT AFTER A WHILE MARC LEFT THE RADIO AND STARTED A RECORD SHOP. RIGHT NOW HE IS A BIG DISTRIBUTER OF REGGAE MUSIC ALL OVER EUROPE.
IN THOSE TIMES WE HAD A LOT OF RADIO SELECTORS, LIKE RAS SIMEON AND ISCHASAR, GUIDANCE SOUNDS WITH JOSHUA AND BART AND WE CAN’T LEAVE OUT MICKEY DREAD WITH ROCKERS IN THE MORNING ON VPRO RADIO, THE FIRST NATIONAL REGGAE RADIO SHOW IN THE NETHERLANDS. YEARS LATER THE CREW GOT A CHANCE TO PROVE THEIR SKILLS ON THAT SAME NATIONAL RADIO STATION TRU THE LINK UP BY WOUTER SELECTER OF HAARLEM’S SUPA SOUND.
AT THAT TIME YOUNG JOHN HAD BECOME BIG JOHN AND INSPECTA ROBY ASKED HIM TO COME AND JOIN HIM WITH THE RADIOWORKS TOGETHER WITH MAJOR RED WHERE THEY MASHED UP THE RADIOWAVES AND DANCEHALLS ALONGSIDE STONE LOVE, KILLAMANJARO AND SIR COXSONE AND NUFF OTHER SOUNDS. THIS CREW CAN LOOK BACK ON A NICE MUSICAL HISTORY, PLAYING SKA , ROCK STEADY AND NUFF REGGAE MUSIC.
AFTER A LONG SEARCH THE CREW FOUND SOMEBODY WHO COULD LINK US WITH A CABLE STATION NAMED SALTO RADIO WHICH HAD A STUDIO ON THE REMBRANDSPLEIN. LATER WE HEARD THAT WE ALSO COULD BE HEARD ON THE FM AND CABLE AROUND AMSTERDAM AND WE GOT NUFF
PEOPLE TUNING IN EVEN FROM THOSE DAYS UNTIL NOW 2007.
IN THAT SAME YEAR THE WHOLE RIDDEM ON THE WIRE CREW HAD A 20 YEARS ANNIVERSARY IN PARADISO WITH NUFF OTHER RADIO DJ’S. IN TIME MAJOR RED LEFT AND IS NOW ON V-TONE RADIO PRESENTING HIS OWN SHOW WITH NUFF CLASICS FROM THE U.S.A AND JAMAICA AND OTHER CARRIBEAN ISLANDS, DOO WAP CAFE—YU BETTA CHECK HIM OUT!
THE LINK THAT WE HAD TOLD US THAT HE WAS LEAVING THE STATION, BUT WE WERE HEARD BY MEMBERS OF ANOTHER STATION CALLED GROOVE FM AND THEY ASKED US TO PLAY FOR THEM AND WE TOTALLY AGREED ‘CAUSE IT WAS OUR ONLY CHANCE TO CONTINUE WITH RIDDEM ON THE WIRE..WE DON’T PLAY FOR GROOVE FM ANYMORE, BUT TIME CAME FOR INSPECTA TO CONCENTRATE ON HIS FAMILY ‘CAUSE HE AND HIS WIFE GOT A BEAUTYFULL SON AND LEFT THE LOCAL AMSTERDAM RADIOWORKS BUT IS STILL SELECTING MUSIC ON LIVESTREAM RADIO EVERY SECOND FRIDAY OF THE MONTH ON HAARLEMSOURCE FROM 14:00/16:00 C.E.T WORLD WIDE.
IN 2005 BIG JOHN CONTINUED RIDDEM ON THE WIRE AND ASKED RIDDEMSHOWER HIFI TO JOIN HIM IN 2008 AND NOW THEY HAVE THEIR OWN PROGRAM ‘CAUSE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH GROOVE FM TURNED SOUR AND BIG JOHN LEFT TO SEEK A BETTER OPTION BY THE SAME RADIO PROVIDER SALTO RADIO.
RIGHT NOW BIG JOHN IS A MAN FROM THE PAST, LIVING IN THIS PRESENT BUT LOOKING TO THE FUTURE AND THE FUTURE IS WITHIN THE YOUTHS, AND BIG JOHN IS READY TO PRESENT A BRAND NEW SELECTER BY THE NAME OF DJ LION WHO WILL CARRY THE RADIOWORKS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL IN THE NETHERLANDS STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 2010 WHEN HE TOOK THE LOCAL RADIOWORKS OVER FROM BIG JOHN.
SO PEOPLE RIDDEM ON THE WIRE IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL AFTER 25 YEARS OF BROADCASTING ON LOCAL AND PIRATE RADIO, BUT IS NOW STREAMING LIVE OVER ON THE INTERNET ON HAARLEMSOURCE AND PODCAST RADIO FREE AMSTERDAM FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT MYSPACE.COM/RIDDEMONTHEWIRE AND TALAWA.FR
SO WE GIVE THANKS TO ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO CONTINUE THE RADIO WORKS, LIKE RIDDEMSHOWER, EMPRESS DONNA LEE, REDLION, BURUMAN AND ALL OTHER DJ’S IN THE NETHERLANDS, ALL SOUNDSYSTEMS AND THOSE WE DID NOT MENTION BLESS UP YOURSELF.
HOLD FAST AND DON’T LET GO AND LET THE RADIO BE A TOOL TO UPLIFT THE MINDS OF ALL PEOPLE.
BLESSED LOVE
BIG JOHN
RIDDEM ON THE WIRE
Hosted by BIG John & Inspecta Roby for Radio Free Amsterdam
Produced, recorded, edited & assembled by BIG John
Executive Producer: Larry Hayden
Special thanks to Cafe The Zen, Mau, Padre and Annie
© 2010 BIG John & Inspecta Roby. All Rights Reserved.
Free Since December 13th! 
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