Episode Details

DJ POOLHOUSE is JAH “KK” FRÖSZT and this is…

ICE REGGAE TWO

“There’s a common perception that reggae, dub, or dancehall are ‘boring.’ I get why—Jamaican and island sound systems are built for a completely different mode of listening than what most audiences are used to today. My goal was to bring the spirit of the pop DJ to reggae and island music — to repackage the product as a love letter, a celebration of its vitality, and a reminder of how deeply it has shaped every form of popular music we hear today.” —DJ POOLHOUSE

ICE REGGAE - WTF IS IT ANYWAY

“Ice reggae is a ‘retcon’ genre and subculture of sorts, I suppose — but ultimately it is a thoughtform. It’s an exploration of new modes of ‘rastafication’ in the age of digital filters and viral mime. Is ‘ice reggae’ a form of cultural appropriation? Absolutely. But it is done in the spirit of One Love and in the Word of Jah the Most Chill. It is created with the hope that it will lead curious listeners back to the True Source of the culture. With ice reggae, both as a thoughtform and as a product, I only hope to partially unlock the Mysteries of the Dubplate for the casual Icestafarian.” —DJ POOLHOUSE

There are four working definitions for this retconned genre, which was created in the spirit of one love, one world harmony.

Global Reggae ProductionReggae made outside Jamaica — from Iceland to China. Cold-climate riddims, tropical soul.

Reggae Pop Crossovers & Pop Flirtation with Jamaican Sonic Elements:When pop puts on the Rasta wig so to speak — dancehall beats, island flavor, or reggae/dub-style remixes. Ace of Base. Dabblings by Nelly Furtado, Nicki Minaj, Drake etc. SNOW (hello!). Carly Simon’s Paradise Garage banger - “Why.”

Or, when “Island music” goes international - Shaggy hits, Rihanna “Pon di Replay” (and I feel her Rated R LP is even more so a definitively ice reggae piece); and other iconic entries from the reggae / dancehall / dub etc.

Dub DNADub science is at the root of modern studio pop production. Everything from hip hop to EDM to top 40 productions contain Jamaican dub wizardry into their sonic archietcure. Thus, “ice reggae” can conceivably be any any music demonstrating an influence of Jamaican studio technique — echo, delay, bass, and sound system roots (this would, by definition, include all of reggae in “ice reggae”!).

Locating the “dub DNA” in recordings allows us to use “ice reggae” to make new connnections in sound (and also represents a praxis of Poolhousean Product Theory – more to come)

Ice Reggae EditsFan-made reggae/dub remixes of pop songs, created in the playful, global spirit of ice reggae, represents the emergent fourth pillar of our ice reggae pop art contagion.

“I am a true studio DJ. I can mix records live — and did so frequently for this mix — and keep the party rocking… but my powers as a Master of the Mix really come alive in the studio, where I can fully explore the limits of the idea of the ‘Deejay as Artist,’ or what I call a ‘pop art producer,’ a concept that I think we, as a species, have only just begun to appreciate.” —DJ POOLHOUSE

Ice Reggae is not just a genre—it’s a way of life. Revealed to DJ POOLHOUSE (known here by his Icestafarian name, Jah “KK” Frözst, aka Jacquesques Fröszt) one cold northern night at the bottom of a frozen gravity bong, through divine intervention by Jah the Most Chill, ICE REGGAE ONE is a continuous deejay mixtape that blends dub, dancehall, Eurodance, white rasta punk, 2-Tone, drum & bass, and ‘90s club cultures into a sound both icy and warm, White & Black, Arctic & tropical.

It’s frozen disco dub meets sunlit trip hop and bass-heavy indie dance. Frosted steel drums. Sweaty melodica r