When you talk about UK sound system culture, one name echoes through the streets: Aba Shanti-I. From his early days as Jasmine Joe, an MC for Jah Tubbys, to commanding his own legendary sound system, Aba Shanti-I has spent over three decades shaping the vibrations that move both body and mind.
In 1990, he embraced Rastafarianism, rebranded, and took charge of his destiny. By 1993, he had a permanent stronghold at Notting Hill Carnival. His sound was raw, militant, and deeply rooted in Caribbean and African consciousness. And it never stopped. Through his label, Falasha Recordings, his work with Blood Shanti and The Shanti-Ites, and global sessions from Tokyo to Lisbon, Aba Shanti-I has remained a keeper of the dub tradition who refuses to be silenced.
On March 8, Aba Shanti-I brings the heavy riddim consciousness to Control Club for a special Black Rhino Residency set. Anticipating this second Black Rhino Residency of 2025, here are five (+1) essential moments that define Aba Shanti-I’s legacy.
Black Rhino Residency: Aba Shanti-I
As we move on to our residencies at Control, we are happy to announce that Aba Shanti will join our curated events on March 8, 2025, marking his first session i...
1. Falasha Recordings and "Tear Down Babylon"
In the early ‘90s, reggae and dub shifted toward cleaner, digital productions, losing the raw weight that defined the genre. This concerned many traditionalists, who saw the warmth of live instrumentation fading. In response, Aba Shanti-I and his brother, Blood Shanti, started Falasha Recordings to bring the music back to its foundation: live instrumentation and a physically minded sound uniquely crafted for sound system culture.
The label launched in 1993 with the firm rhythm of Tear Down Babylon. The track became a rallying cry in London's dub circles. Its bassline ran deep, and Aba’s voice cut through it all with radical defiance.
2. Notting Hill Carnival Residency
South London in August: the streets are alive with color and sound. In the distance, a low hum grows thicker. Suddenly, Aba Shanti-I’s wall of speakers ignites the crowd. Since 1993, his sound system has been central to Notting Hill Carnival, a sacred place where dub lovers, rastas, and bassline seekers converge in powerful unity.
3. University of Dub
Aba Shanti-I was a founding presence at University of Dub, one of London’s most respected sound system nights. Starting in the late 1990s, these sessions at venues like Scala and the Dome in Tufnell Park were essential gatherings for dub and roots culture. Shanti-I's sets were immersive mixes of towering bass, meditative rhythms, and Rastafarian consciousness.
4. Jah Lightning and Thunder
If you need proof that roots reggae and dub still carry the spirit of rebellion, this is the evidence. Jah Lightning and Thunder is a masterclass fusion of ancestral wisdom, percussive thunder, and immersive basslines from 1996. Aba Shanti-I’s first major full-length release, this album signified his transition from selector to producer. Blood Shanti & The Shanti-Ites provide the live instrumentation backbone, while Aba Shanti-I molds it into a dub forcefield. Tracks like Jah Lives and The Warning breathe, stretch, and expand against the walls of oppression.
5. "Victory" with Dubkasm
Aba Shanti-I's 2020 collaboration with Dubkasm, Victory, proves his reach is limitless even after three decades. Dubkasm, known for precise Bristol dub, provides the digital blueprint, but Aba Shanti-I infuses it with analog fire. His sound system aesthetic turns the track into a clash of generations, a passing of the torch even. Make sure to play this one through a proper stack to summon its full power.
6. Boiler Room x SYSTEM: Sounds Series at Somerset House Studios
At the start of his Boiler Room x SYSTEM set, Aba Shanti-I takes to the mic. With ten minutes of aged wisdom, he immediately grounds the session in a historical, identity, and resistance context. SYSTEM, Boiler Room’s series focused on sounds from the global diaspora, provided the perfect space for his message that intertwined Rastafarian teachings, sound system culture, and the realities of the Black diaspora in the UK. Speaking casually yet purposeful, Shanti-I reminds the audience that dub and reggae are spiritual and cultural weapons forged in struggle. He traced their roots from his birthplace of Antigua, Jamaica, to the UK, highlighting sound systems as places of refuge and expression against oppression. He speaks of the generations, both familial and cultural, who built these movements and the ongoing struggles Black communities face today with the weight of experience. Then, as the energy in the room settled into his words, his set of musical inspirations overdubbed with serene vocals provided a communal history lesson for the ages.
