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Selector: King Tony Shares His Love of Jamaican Music at Simmer Down’s 5 Year Anniversary

May 11, 2017

Anthony “King Tony” Abbinanti rounds out Simmer Down Sound’s team of resident selectors.  While he is likely best known as the drummer and dub engineer extraordinaire for Chicago’s illustrious dub-outfit, The Drastics, King Tony wears many other hats.

As a dub engineer King Tony spent a couple of years working with Heavyweight Dub in addition to dubbing The Drastics. He is also a proficient producer, composer and studio engineer and runs Dirty North Studios. In addition to drums, King Tony also plays keys and baritone saxophone. He has lent his instrumental talents to Deals Gone Bad, JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound, Akasha, Hepcat and much more.

In 2017 King Tony started the Happy as a Lark record label, which has released The Drastics “Noir” album, accompanied by a dub version. They also have released four 7-inch vinyl singles from the two albums, including: “What A Ting” with rub-a-dub veterans, Michigan and Smiley, and “What The Lick” by Chicago deejay MC Zulu.

King Tony is also a self-proclaimed “amateur musicologist” who has delved deep into the study of Jamaican music.  He explains, “I was a ska kid in the nineties, so I started digging deeper into what this ‘ska’ thing really was and immediately encountered some of the later releases of The Skatalites…That led me to some of the Studio One and Trojan compilations from the 80s which opened up all this great music from 1960s Jamaica.  After getting my hands on more of these compilations I started following Jamaican music chronologically from ska to rocksteady to reggae to roots, etc…knowing how it got from A to Z gives you a deep appreciation of how music and culture evolves.”

As a result of his study, King Tony is also a versatile DJ, selecting vinyl sounds from the soul, reggae, and world genres. King Tony has worked with the Simmer Down Sound crew since we started as a guest selector, dub engineer, and drummer, and recently joined us as a resident selector.  He also has several other residencies in the city, including at the Wild Hare, Logan, Hardware, The Owl, Estereo, Punch House, Five Star Bar and The Broken Shaker. He also is a gifted graphic designer and has lent his talents to the design of many of the posters which have promoted our night over the years.

Clearly a devotee of the arts, King Tony has a particular love of reggae, saying “I think music can be good as a message, for a banner to rally under.  It can be constructive or destructive, distracting or enlightening. Reggae is a music I hold dear; the message, the struggle, the attitude, and the competitive nature all weave together to form a truly authentic and raw music.”  We at Simmer Down are thrilled to be celebrating our fifth anniversary with King Tony, Saturday, May 13th at Subterranean.   

Selector: The Graduate Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary of Simmer Down Sound

May 10, 2017

Nic The Graduate is truly a jack of all trades, making up one-half of reggae/hip hop duo Illuminati Congo, as well as being a professional photographer,  a multi-instrumentalist, and one of Chicago’s best DJs and producers.

A serious collector of reggae records, the Graduate boasts one of the best collections in the city, and his love affair with reggae goes way back.  “I laugh when people say they have been into something their whole life but I feel like I have been into reggae pretty much my whole life! My parents used to play Bob Marley around the house when I was in infant and they say the first song I ever requested when I was a kid was “Buffalo Soldier.”  Over the years reggae has seemed to play a larger and larger role in my life. I have continued to collect and discover new (or new to me) reggae records and find every opportunity to play them out for the people. I have met so many great friends through collecting and djing reggae.”  

As a DJ, The Graduate joined forces with Cosmos Ray, Akasha and Selector Aaron in 2012 as an original member of the crew running what was then known as Simmer Down Sundays at the Double Door.  He is also currently has a residency at the Whistler on Second Fridays.  

As a producer, The Graduate has put out three albums with Illuminati Congo and has participated in international collaborations with Lee “Scratch” Perry, Anthony B, Lutan Fyah, Midnite, Pressure, Big Youth, Burro Banton, King Kong, Pressure and JahDan Blakkamoore.  We at Simmer Down are happily anticipating imminent vinyl and digital releases of The Graduate’s productions on the Happy as a Lark label.  

 

The Graduate’s sensibilities with respect to reggae have definitely played a role in shaping Simmer Down Sound’s vision and mission with respect to embracing diversity and inclusivity.  When we asked him about how he felt about the role of reggae with respect to raising social consciousness, Nic said, “Part of my interest in reggae and hip hop especially is the very broad range of messages that can be found in the songs. When I DJ I try to cover as much of this range as possible because it is all interesting to me – often the message is something I can relate to, but sometimes it is so foreign I can only try to imagine what life is like for this person. It is good to see a strong new roots movement currently happening in Jamaica and around the world. Making this positive message more and more acceptable in the mainstream can definitely inspire change for the better.”  We at Simmer Down wholeheartedly concur with him, and are very happy to have The Graduate help us celebrate five years of building our movement this Saturday, May 13th at Subterranean!