Zion Train at W-Z: “Live As One”, future dub and the launch of Wroc Love Exclusive Stage

Zion Train are visiting Wrocław for the fifth time. Their next concert is in October at WZ club, on the tour promoting “Live As One”. Their previous performance here in 2004 filled the club to capacity. This appearance forms part of the first Wroc Love Exclusive Stage, a project established by Wrocław music promoters to present the most interesting cultural developments in reggae, new world and alternative music. Wroc Love Exclusive Stage events will take place in various concert halls and music clubs across the city.

About the band:

Zion Train are a pioneering future-dub band and sound system. Alongside groups such as Dreadzone, they are among the pioneers and biggest international stars working at the intersection of roots reggae and modern electronic club music. They formed in 1990 with Molara on vocals and percussion, Cod on melodica, Perch on live dub mixing, Hake on trumpet, Forkbeard on trombone and Tench on atmospheres and electronics. The success of their early albums “A Passage To Indica”, “Natural Wonders Of The World In Dub” and “Siren” led to a 1995 deal with Warner subsidiary China Records, where they released their biggest album, “Homegrown Fantasy”, and created the world’s first dub music video for the single “Get Ready”.

Since 1999, they have again continued releasing high-quality dub, electronic music, experimental drum’n’bass and dance-oriented world music through their own Universal Egg label. The Independent described their club night Bass Odyssey as follows: You won't find a better all-night dub party anywhere in the capital.

New Musical Express reviewed their live show: More bounce than a party in a Michelin factory. They have played most major European festivals and published their own magazine, The Wobbler, with a circulation of 15 000, promoting provocative thought and useful, irreverent information.

They first appeared in Poland in 1996, inspiring ecstasy and filling clubs as the first digital roots act to visit the country on the Vistula.

Zion Train’s concerts are legendary. In 1999, they played to 10,000 children of love from around the world during the solar eclipse at Hungary’s Solar Eclipse festival. Shortly afterwards, they headlined Tam Gdzie Biją Źródła on the slopes of Mount Równica near Bielsko-Biała, where tens of thousands of people gave them a tremendous reception. The Równica concert was broadcast live on TVP2.

In summer 2000, Zion Train returned to the road for the Love Revolutionaries Tour, blowing minds and pumping out bass in Germany, Finland, Estonia, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. Naturally, the tour also took in numerous British festivals, including memorable appearances at Brighton’s Essential Festival, Womad, Lambeth Country Fair and Glastonbury, where they delivered their fiery show on both the Glade and Firestarter stages.

In 2001, Zion Train Sound System visited Poland no fewer than three times. Their next album, “Original Sounds Of The Zion”, appeared on their own label, featuring guest vocals from Jono, Pat Fulgoni (Kava Kava) and Levi Roots. November 2002 brought another sound-system tour of Poland, and in 2003 they won over an audience of several thousand at the Regałowisko festival in Bielawa, appearing there with Jono (Dubdadda) for the first time.

2003 brought another Glastonbury appearance, Germany’s largest reggae festival Chiemsee Summer Festival, and clubs and festivals across Europe.

Zion Train Sound System also appeared in Japan for the first time, playing alongside Iration Steppers, DJ Kuranaka, Zettai Mu and many other Japanese crews.

Zion Train Sound System’s next Polish tour, featuring Molara and DJ Perch in February 2004, only confirmed their status as Poland’s most popular international act on the roots scene.

In 2004, they performed on Przystanek Woodstock’s main stage in Żary, presenting what was surely the biggest dub show in world music history.

2005 brought a return to Poland with a special guest: Jamaica’s Fitta Warri. More than a dozen singers have passed through Zion Train since its foundation!

A year later, another change occurred in the band: Molara left. Their last Polish tour took place in June 2006, when they appeared with Dubdadda in place of Molara for the first time.

Zion Train also sometimes performs with guest reggae legend Earl 16, the Jamaican singer regularly associated with Dreadzone.

Alongside this, DJ Perch also presents Abassi All Stars/Abassi Hi Power, headliners at Wrocław's One Love Sound Fest in 2005, and works actively in his Cologne studio, remixing and producing music released by Universal Egg and his new label, Deep Root.

A new Zion Train album will be released in the second half of 2007, promoted by singles released beforehand. It promises to be a major musical production featuring numerous guests.

Zion Train's recent Polish performances were on 10 March 2007 at Kraków's Studio club, where they sent an audience of almost 1,000 into a dancing frenzy, at a large outdoor festival in Chorzów in May, and at another outdoor event in Toruń in August this year.

Five years after their previous album, Zion Train's latest, “Live As One”, appears on 10 September 2007, including in Poland. It is the group's ninth release since their 1992 debut, “A Passage To Indica”.

Produced entirely by DJ Perch, the album features regular vocalist and showman Dubdaddy and the customary beautiful brass playing, alongside many superb singers, including Tippa Irie, Earl 16, YT and Marlene Johnson. Full of surprises and new sounds, including live guitars and drums, the record consolidates the group's new identity following their parting of ways with Molara and Cod.

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