JJ Roberts & Soul Maker Sound System

Last Friday night I was fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph some of the members of Soul Maker Sound System - JJ Roberts and his son Jono and their fellow crew-member Jason. Brent asked me to make some photos for the promo of their re-launch coming up on 2nd May 2009.

Reggae Music is an integral part of Rasta Culture. Rastafarians have a strong belief in Jah, who they consider to be the creator of our planet earth, the sun and the whole universe. The planet earth is considered a gift to all living beings, with all creatures having a right to live physically and mentally free. Reggae song lyrics deal with many subjects, including: religion, love, sexuality, peace, relationships, poverty, injustice and other social and political issues.

Soul Maker Sound System had its beginnings in the inner suburbs of Sydney in the early 1980’s when Jamaican born Sound System owner Jonathan “JJ” Roberts began playing rock steady, ska and reggae to Australian audiences. Over the last 20 years the name Soul Maker has become synonymous with Dancehall and Reggae music in Australia and as one of the oldest in the industry has been around to watch the industry grow and expand. The early part of Soul Maker’s journey was difficult due to being the only entity of its kind in Sydney, but thanks to the hard work of JJ Roberts, Soul Maker and other pioneers of the Australian Dancehall scene, the word spread and awareness of the music and the culture grew. Soul Maker is gearing up for a re-entry into the Industry in 2009 with a number of events being planned. Bless!!