STUDIO 17: THE LOST REGGAE TAPES
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Venue
1400 NE 1st Ave
Miami, FL 33132
Synopsis
Formed by the Chins, a Chinese-Jamaican couple in the early ‘60s in Kingston, Jamaica, Randy’s Records started as a used record store, then grew to house a reggae recording studio in the upstairs part of the building. In its prime, artists who recorded at Studio 17 included Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and many more. Studio 17’s history as the nerve center of a new style of music—from ska to rocksteady to reggae to dub reggae—is vividly captured in Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes. Featuring archival photos and footage as well as compelling interviews with musicians from the golden age of reggae, the tale of Randy’s Records goes from that of a triumphant “watering hole for Jamaican musicians” in the first days of the country’s independence from Britain in 1962, to its shuttering due to the breakdown of law and order in the 70s, and on to to a remarkable final rebirth.
Viewing: This film can only be viewed in-person at Nite Owl Drive-In, Miami. It is not available in our virtual cinema.
About the Director
Director: Mark James is an award-winning director, editor, and cinematographer. He studied fine art at Goldsmiths College and film production at the Royal College of Art Film School. He went on to direct a number of films for television including Freeze, the controversial first film on artist Damien Hirst and the new wave of YBA’s (Young British Artists) for BBC 1. Since then, Mark has filmed, directed, and edited many films for television on music and the arts including films on Bryan Ferry, Dave Stewart, and Phil Collins.
Producer: Reshma B is a music journalist and filmmaker who specializes in reggae and dancehall music. Her work appears on media platforms such as BBC, Billboard, Pigeons & Planes/Complex, VIBE and Boomshots. She is also the reggae and dancehall curator at Tidal. She has conducted extensive interviews with most of the top acts in Jamaican music including Shabba Ranks, Supercat, Vybz Kartel, Spice and Popcaan.
