Georg Stögermayer aka Conspirator George is a highly regarded Reggae and Blues guitarist within the Austrian music scene and is active in different band projects since more than 15 years. His recent projects as a live musician include the 10-piece instrumental RootsReggae/Dub formation „Barefoot Basement“ and „Rocksteady Conspiracy“, a band dedicated to Ska and early Rocksteady sounds from the 60s and 70s. Beside his love for his wife, his Fender guitar and african music in particular, he started to dig vinyl records about 3 years ago. Equipped with a great taste in music, his record collection soon began to grow and Conspirator George was able to speak through his blissful selections as a regular guest selector at the esteemed viennese party series „Boss Sounds“ and „Run Come Dance“. His personal focus when spinning records is to connect different groove structures - all centered around the shaking poles of Afro-Funk, Reggae, Ska and Dub - to one hell of a intense dance.
As Georg told me in a short interview, the cultural or ethnical background in african music isn’t that important, because Afro-Caribeean artists often share similar musical approaches, but their results differ of course. When somebody wants to find out from which island his colleague is coming from, one just has to listen closely how the instrument is being struck/hit in order to know where these musicians originate from. For example, percussion instruments are being played in various rhythmic codes from island to island and so music functions also as a way of direct communication.
Music as a universal language. Let’s become one!
Text by Benedikt Guschlbauer
LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/barefoot-basement
https://www.facebook.com/TheRocksteadyConspiracy
TRACKLIST:
1) BYRON LEE - RIVER BANK JUMP
2) ETUBOM REX WILLIAMS - UWA IDEM MI
3) RAYMOND HARPER/TOMMY MC COOK - TANGO BOUNCE
4) MULATU ASTATKE - KULUNMANQUELSHI
5) HAILU MERGIA - LOMI TERA TERA
6) SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS - QUEST UNDER CAPRICORN
7) PYROTECHNIST - AIR DUB ONE
8) THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA - KINGDOM COME
9) THE AFRICA 70 - MR. BIG MOUTH
10) PROFESSOR LONGHAIR - BIG CHIEF
11) DR. VICTOR OLAIYA - OMBELE
12) BLACK SUGAR - VALDEZ IN THE COUNTRY
13) NICOLE WILLIS & THE SOUL INVESTIGATORS - PAINT ME IN A CORNER
14) PAMA INTERNATIONAL - MAN NEXT DOOR
15) MONOPHONICS - MIRAGE
16) JOHNNY & THE ATTRACTIONS - CALL OF THE DRUMS
17) ARIYA ASTROBEAT ARKESTRA - NEW FRONTIERS
