Selector/soundboy Crucial P has been a household name in the Belgian reggae and dancehall scene for many years! His love for reggae music goes way back, while still in school. He first got in touch with this music, especially through Bob Marley, but also artists like LKJ, Capital Letters, Peter Tosh&others. It lasted a copple of years before Crucial P started collecting reggae music, on a regular basis.In those days, the shops where you could buy good regae music were rare in Belgium! He started to buy his first albums and 12" singles in shops like Brabo, and remember Music Station Import, located at the Astridsquare, close to the central sation in Antwerp. The owner of the shop was Brent Clarke, who also played a role in the reggae music industry. Although, to keep up with the current flow of new releases, visiting the reggae capital, London on a regular base, was a must. Early 1982 he started a reggae show on a small local station.In mid 1982 Crucial P was asked to do a reggae show on a well known local station in his hometown, called radio Reflex. The show was called "Reggae Vibes", and would last for about 5 years! Tapes of some of the shows still circulate with collectors. He got interested in making radio, because he was a huge fan of Sir Jah and his show "Music of Jamica" which was running on radio SIS in Brussels.
Up to this moment he still regards Sir Jah as his Belgian mentor, making artists such as The Abyssinians, Eek A Mouse, Don Carlos, Barington Levy, The Heptones and Augustus Pablo familiar names to him. In the press and music magazines you couldn't find any info about reggae music at all. It was like, after the passing of Bob Marley, reggae music would dissapear from the music scene!
Still reggae fans could come and watch to see their heroes performing live shows in Antwerp, especially in a venue called Hof Ter Lo. Max Romeo, Chalice, Horace Andy, Burning Spear, Capital Letters, Eek A Mouse and others.In 1983, long before publication like "riddim" and "Rockers", Crucial P started his own independant reggae magazine, called "Reggae Massive". Due to the lack of financial support, only 2 issues came out.
In 1984 he played his first reggae dance. The next copple of yeaers He played occasionally on reggae events. Sadly enough this was a period where the interest in reggae music in Belgium was on a downfall!
In may 1986, on an early morning after watching an Aswad show, he bumped into 2 reggae fanatics. Called Michel Verhoeven,(daddy Ini), and Erik Vermeulen, (Captain D). These three guys became friends and frequently visited parties together. But at dances they always heard the same music over and over. While in Jamaica revolutionary things where happening, like the first digital riddims, the use of drumcomputers, synthesisers and so on! This would result later in 1993, in the first Belgian soundsystem called Boombastic! No connection with the Shaggy tune, cause that came out years later!In the early stage of digital reggae, Crucial P had some problems, identifying himself, with this new style of reggae! But he soon discovered, that this was a revolutionary step in the music, that later would make this music big again! He says that King Jammy is the most important figure in Jamaica that gave birth to this style! In 1989 he visited Jamaica for the first time. In 1993 he set up Boombastic sound with the 2 aforementioned friends. There were always dj's who played reggae, but none of them came out as a soundcrew/system. The meaning of it, was to let people know there was more to reggae music than the classic roots acts. On a next visit to Jamaica, Crucial P recorded the very first dubplate for a Belgian sound. After a slow beginning Boombastic started to hit it. Some soundboys say this sound inspired them to be a soundboy too, and is regarded to many as the godfather sound in Belgium! This was the first sound to play dubplates in their dances. In september and October '97, they promoted and played two dances with Bass Culture from Brussels. On both occasions, more than 500 people turned out, still special to Belgian standards at that time. Especially the dance in september is regarded as one of the best dances ever held in Belgium!They also came in the spolight, when they participated in the European soundclash in January '98. They ended third, with competition from soundquake and Pow Pow. Boombastic sound was the first Belgian sound to play on invitation in Holland and Germany.
At the end of '98 Crucial P decides to leave the crew and continue as a one man sound. He also visits Jamaica again, starts doing radio shows, and writes about reggae for publications, like Rockers, Plastiks and Roots Reggae International (US).After that, his sound activities started getting bigger. He becomes again a well known soundboy, playing on a wide variety of events, dances, support for live shows, Festivals aso! The selection he plays appeals to many reggae fans! Roots,dancehall, dubplates,classics, rub a dub. He plays together with the best Belgian sounds like Far West crew, Civalizee, Juggling, Discotheque, High Grade, Uphill , Skylarkin' and Massive Sound. He played on the biggest reggae festival in Belgium "Reggae Geel" different times. He's the most wanted guest on the Bounce show. The only reggae show on national radio, studio Brussels. He's invited on a regular base to do guestshows and intervieuws on local radiostations. And in cooperation with other people, ex-boombastic members and Bassment sound, he promotes live shows with Lone Ranger, Carlton Livingston, Sugar Minott, Soundtrooper&Harry Toddler, Taffari and Robert Lee. Also active outside the soundscene has a sharp nose for talent and helps to promote artists like Taffari, jovi Rockwell, Hollo Way, Jah Niceness and others. With Belgian band Calabash he records a copple of riddims which he hopes can used to do some voicings later with some artists. This band is the perfect example of how, now a days reggae should sound, and it consists of a-class musicians.
Also on a proffesional level it's music all the way, cause like he says himself, "I love to play sound, but it's not enough!".
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