Samsara

Rank #3 Brighton, UK Reggae / Ska / Alternative

50% of sales go to the charity Fender Music Foundation.

About

Members: Jez - Vocals/Guitars, Dre Andreas - Keys, James Lambeth - Bass/Vocals, Stan - Riddims and Beatz, Al 'The Stag' Crane - Saxophone, Ms White - Trom...

Sounds Like: Groundation, The Police, Manu Chao, Bob Marley, Fat Freddy's Drop

Bio: As "one of the South's most exciting reggae acts", Brighton-based collective Samsara create an open minded and fresh take on the roots tradition. Their music pays tribute to the original innovators of the genre while refusing to be bound by any stylistic conventions. The result has been described... See Full Bio

More Info

Status

: Bob Marley #LegendRemixed - is this progress or should some things just be left alone? #reggae

Press

"One of the South's most exciting reggae acts"

— XYZ magazine, Album review

"Samsara are possibly one of the best reggae acts in the UK at the moment - this six headed creature from Brighton bring good times wherever they go, bringing a more laid back Wailers-style sound that is laid back and exhilarating at the same time. They are also a band who know how to perform, bringing a fantastic atmosphere and some excellent musicianship, and are one of the best active reggae bands in the UK at the moment. Anyone who values a good skank should definitely get down to a show."

— Will Tiley, Inter:Mission Bristol

"The excellent Brighton reggae band Samsara, an outfit who do great credit to the enduring legacy of Jamaican reggae."

— Latest 7 Magazine, Brighton

"Samsara have moved from strength to strength in the past few years following on from the success of their debut EP 'Full Circle' - the rhythmic flow and catchy choruses give this selection all the attributes to get people moving. Their most recent release 'The Great Unravelling' showcases the seemingly constant progression and developing talents of this promising outfit...really highlighting the progression and recognition of these rising starlets."

— Zack Reeves, Brighton Unisgned Magazine

“Summer's officially over, so make sure you catch these guys live soon to keep that glorious sunshine vibe flowing. With increasingly high profile gigs in the pipeline, there's much more skanking fun to be had with these guys. They recently supported The Wailers at the Concorde 2. Well, if it's good enough for them!...”

— XYZ magazine feature

"Taking some solidly ska and reggae influences right to the edge with the kind of abandon beloved of jazz musicians and mixing it with near gypsy levels of passion, (Samsara) turned left at the next corner of inspiration and started enjoying themselves. Witness the sheer dance floor bounce of “No Man’s An Island” or “Mescalito”. Wonder at the inspired transformation of mellow civilisation into a ska jumpathon that is “Wandering Minstrels”. Fun and musicianship all in one place at one time! Not only refreshing to the ears but likely to encourage your feet to start moving!"

— Bluesbunny Music Reviews - Album review

"I can’t claim to have seen Samsara play live, but judging by the accomplished sound of the musicianship on their debut album, I would think that if I was at a UK festival passing the World Music stage, I’d stop and have a really good time!"

— Sound on Sound Magazine - Playback review

“Samsara's overall reggae & ska sound dips into gypsy jazz, latin, folk of a Simon and Garfunkle quality and even Beatle-sish psychedelia. They tumble between a ghost town-esque eeriness (Who’s The Ruler?) and a raucousness on the scale of the most grand Rio Queen (Mescalito). Always though their sound is carnival and collective. You feel throughout that you are listening to the polar explosive outpoorings of a movement very tightly knitted together. Whilst the sounds and experiences involved are widely flavoured and culturally varied, they are walking the same line and going to the same party. ...they experiment with instrumentation and production, using sound clips, snippets & effects to both joyfully and shiveringly enhance the vibe of the specific song. Always this pays off and adds to the outsider edginess of the sound.”

— Anne Louise Kershaw , annelouisekershaw365.com - "The Great Unravelling" album review

"Samsara plunder folk, rock and psychedelia and take it to carnival to arrive at a polished finished product that defies categorisation outside of entertaining."

— The Source magazine, Brighton

"I’d describe Samsara as a group that’s taken Reggae as their model and built on the style using musical genres from all over the world and throughout the history of pop music to produce a startlingly new angle on The Jamaican sound. They do this with much panache and the result is an album that deserves to be a great international success...."

— Zig Zag Wanderings, Album review

"Six-piece reggae outfit Samsara's album follows up their EP debut 'Full Circle' with a batch of reggae anthems and ska bouncers. It's a well produced affair throughout and the sound has something of a 'Sting meets Jerry Dammers' quality, and a deep'n'distant Specials groove..."

— Venue Magazine, Bristol

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Recent Blogs

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Shows

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Thu
Apr 25

Gaz's Rockin' Blues Club
London, LONDO, UK | 9:00pm
Gaz's Rockin' Blues Club
London, LONDO, UK
Thu Apr 25 9:00pm
- Show Details
- Tickets
Fri
Apr 12

The Blind Tiger Club
Brighton, UK | 9:00pm
The Blind Tiger Club
Brighton, UK
Fri Apr 12 9:00pm
- Show Details
- Tickets
Fri
Mar 8

Hootannany
London, LND, UK | 9:00pm
Hootannany
London, LND, UK
Fri Mar 08 9:00pm
- Show Details
- Tickets
Fri
Mar 8

hootanannys brixton
London, UK | 8:00pm
hootanannys brixton
London, UK
Fri Mar 08 8:00pm
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Details

A killer night of music featuring King Porter Stomp, Samsara and yours truly. PLUS! This is our EP launch night!!! Come grab yourself a copy of our new EP 'Reason'.
Fri
Jan 25

The Blind Tiger Club
Brighton, UK | 8:00pm
The Blind Tiger Club
Brighton, UK
Fri Jan 25 8:00pm
- Show Details
- Tickets

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Store

All Store Items

The Great Unravelling
MP3: $9.99
Full Circle
MP3: $8.99

Comments

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MusicXray
Thanks for being part of Music Xray and keep the music coming. Good luck with the opportunities available for your music we hope there is a match. Let us know if you need ...
MusicXray
Thanks for being part of Music Xray and keep the music coming. Good luck with the opportunities available for your music we hope there is a match. Let us know if you need ...
The World of Subduction
Totally diggin' your vibe. Great trax brilliant vocals. Top Notch. Respect.
Pearl Black
you got it all guys! love it!...Pearl
NICO MINESCU
HELLO FROM ROMANIA,GUYS !!! FULL ENERGY THERE;GREAT TRACKS...NICE WORK,LAST ORDERS;COOOOOL,THIEF IN THE NIGHT IS MY FAV ONE !!!WISH YOU MUCH,MUCH...
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