Upon his return from a US west coast tour with Protoje & The Indiggnation, DJ Yaadcore immediately set to work on a new mix. What was the reason for his urgency? Well, July 23, 2013, the 121st birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie I, is also the release date for Yaadcore’s commemorative mix called Hail Ras Tafari, Volume 1: Tribe of Judah.

In unlikely fashion, the mix begins with the sounds of Nyahbinghi drumming and chanting before going into some seldom heard reggae classics of decades gone by. As a leading DJ within the contemporary Reggae Revival movement, Yaadcore stressed the importance of maintaining traditions.

“Older reggae is a must, as always, because it is the root of the Rasta culture, spreading Ras Tafari’s message through music. Can’t leave out the foundation,” said the DJ, whose given name is Rory Cha. “The use of the Nyahbinghi vibration is to give the essence of real worship as opposed to just listening to mainstream reggae because it is a popular song.”

Hail Ras Tafari, Volume 1: Tribe of Judah is available for download on SoundCloud as of July 23. Yaadcore’s radio program, Reggae Aroma, can be heard weekly on Jamaica’s HOT 102FM early on Friday mornings, from 12:30am to 2:00am.

Selector/Dj Yaadcore is a cultured and humbled reggae selector that has already began making waves on Jamaica’s music scene. Also the personal DJ for international reggae artist Protoje.

Check out more of Yaadcore’s mixes here