Steel An’ Skin: Reggae Is Here Again

Steel band reggae is usually the music you hear inside the head of the all-American soccer mom as she plans out her all-inclusive trip to Sandals Resort on the safe coasts of Jamaica, away from the areas where the real dirt-floor shit is created. Steel An’ Skin, however, were a London-based Afro-Carribean steel band who infused elements of the mean streets of Kingston into their mix of disco, dub, and soul that appealed to dreads, Grandmaster Flash, and the students they taught in their workshops and community outreach programs alike. This beautifully packaged CD/DVD reissue contains a short collection of some of their most essential plates, including the phenomenal “Afro Punk Reggae (Dub)”, as well as a 34-minute-long documentary DVD containing an in-depth interview with group founder Peter Blackman, workshop scenes, and an assortment of studio and live footage of Steel An’ Skin in action. This is one steel band album you won’t feel like a total sell-out blasting out the speakers at your next BBQ.