After seven years of digital releases, netlabel Dubkey has put out its first vinyl release, and it's by label owner Manwel T himself. The 7" single, titled Freedom Stepper, will surely go down well with all reggae/dub vinyl afficionados, as well as the numerous Dubkey followers who have been waiting for so long to get their hands on a Dubkey vinyl release. The A-side is a catchy instrumental stepper that follow in the steps of Manwel T's Cosmic album, offering up unrelenti

With a line-up boasting more than 50 acts spread all over three main areas (four if one counts the Greek Theatre), it's no secret that the Earth Garden Festival has grown in leaps and bounds since its first edition was staged almost a decade ago. The upside of this is a wider spectrum of artists on offer with a broader appeal that has certainly been essential in boosting bigger attendances. The downside of course is that, there being simultaneous schedules, one can never actu

Following a string of successful events that have firmly placed them on Malta’s cultural map, the lads at Bass Culture are putting the final touches to their next event. Amplify Bass Fest will take place at Ta’ Fra Ben in Qawra on Sunday, June 28, the eve of a public holiday and, as its tagline clearly states, it will be a massive feast of bass that boasts what is possibly the team’s biggest line-up to date, truly making it the vibration of the nation. A collaborative effort

Four – that’s the magic number behind this year’s Rock the South festival! That’s four as in this will be the fourth edition of this annual gathering at Zion in Marsascala, which has this year been expanded to a four-day event (9-12 April) and will feature more than 44 acts, among them four foreign acts. The live acts will be performing alternately on two stages, further to which, for the first time since the festival was launched, there will also be a Silent Disco with Hedon

'The bass, and nothing but' would probably be an apt description of what Malta's Bass Culture organisation is about, but in reality, there is much more to it than just that. Bass is indeed at the core of everything they do, but every event they've staged so far has presented new sounds, styles, beats and grooves that are dominated, inspired and indeed driven by those low frequencies that most music would feel empty without. Bass Clash is the organisation's latest event, and a

A quick peek at the Dubkey.com website will reveal the locally-based internet label is now on its 20th release; Don Goliath's Calling on Jah compilation being the latest full-length release to be given away as a free download. Label founder and owner Manwel T has been long-involved in the reggae and dub scene, not only as a radio DJ but more prominently for his remixes of other artists' work. Eight years on from his first remix (and five since he set up Dubkey), Manwel T has

One of the top dub producers in France with a fanbase stretches way beyond his home turf, Panda Dub will be the headlining act at the latest event from Bass Culture, to be held on Saturday, July 26 at Razzett L-Ahmar in Mosta. The Panda Dub project was set up in Lyon when, as a budding artist he started to etch out his own dub style after discovering the genre through other French artists and the UK scene in particular. Blending a variety of sounds that range from electro dub

This summer's first release by Maltese internet-based record label Dubkey is the self-titled debut outing from Three Little Birds. Featuring 12 tracks, all of them instrumental, the album traces Belgian artist Ewoud Vandenberghen first steps as a dub/steppers artist. The end result is an enticing collection of music brimming with infectious melodies propelled by inventive drum beats, solid bass lines and memorable synth hooks. Three Little Birds was formed in 2012 by Vandenbe