Jamaica is planning their first major EDM festival, Paradise LostJamaica

Jamaica is planning their first major EDM festival, Paradise Lost

Dance music is coming back to Jamaica, where some say it was born and rightfully belongs. The island country’s rich musical history is often overlooked when the roots of America and Europe’s beloved EDM are examined. Now however, Paradise Lost, the country’s first major festival, intends to rectify those thoughts and put Jamaica’s connection to dance music on the map.

A member of the festival’s organizing team, Jason Newman, told Jamaican outlet The Gleaner:

“Some Jamaicans don’t know that the genre started here, and some of the foreign markets don’t know either. This is going to educate them to learn about Jamaica and appreciate our music all over again.”

But don’t take it from Newman, just ask Diplo, one of the current day’s most renowned taste-making super-producers. Diplo and Major Lazer have garnered an enormous following in Jamaica, embracing the culture that birthed the dub and reggae that is undeniably a cornerstone of modern dance music. The influences of King Tubby and King Jammys for instance — revered Jamaican recording artists — channels directly into some of today’s most popular sounds. Paradise Lost Festival intends to make those connections clear on a global scale.

The new festival is expected to help create close to 2500 jobs, bring in nearly 15,000 spring breakers between March 10-12th, 2016, and pour nearly $5 billion dollars of revenue into Jamaica’s economy. Paradise Lost promises not only a prosperous upswing for Jamaica’s dance scene, but also a resurgence of dance culture at the hub of where the music began.

H/T: The Gleaner

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Categories: