Protege Showers The Santa Monica Pier Twilight Concert With Innovative Reggae

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CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR COVERAGE OF SANTA MONICA PIER’S TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES

As soon as the InDiggNation opened the set with two songs of ingeniously crafted, instrumental reggae vibes on the Santa Monica Pier, I knew that the audience would be given exactly what they were there for: a new, refreshing reggae sound.

There’s a reason why KCRW’s DJ, Anne Litt, is high on them. Protégé & the InDiggNation harness all of the traditional musical themes of reggae and injects the genre with a modern flare which allows new listeners, whether young or old, to relate to it. It’s a vintage vibe though a modern lens.

Sonic’s aside, the lyrics of Protoje’s compositions are just as enticing. Protoje’s music requires a close listen. His flow is an instrument in and of itself, and his melodies can be listened to as simply pushing and pulling the rhythms and tones of the music, but the messages embodied in those melodies are equally as important. Truth be told, this was my first time REALLY listening to Protoje’s music, but his messages of love, hate, history and future made me asked the person standing next to me to confirm that which I thought I heard on several occasions.

Midway through his performance, he announced to the crowd that his latest album, “Royalty Is Free”, was available as a free download from his site [www.protoje.com]. He then began to hand out free copies of his CD to those in the photo pit, and I was lucky enough to score a copy. Needless to say, I have placed that album in my playlist to further absorb his messages.

He closed his performance with a medley of covers. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Tupac’s “California Love” were given a reggae facelift, and had the audience basking in the familiarity. Thereafter, Protoje left the stage and had audience members begging for an encore. In what was perhaps the only negative of the evening’s performance, Protoje did not return to the stage to perform another one of his original creations; something that surely would have satiated the appetites of those chanting for his return.

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CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR COVERAGE OF SANTA MONICA PIER’S TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES