Support Riverside Sound System and Green Hope Foundation by purchasing Reggae Against Cancer compilation

Photo courtesy of Riverside Sound System.

Dailyreggae.com spoke with Nicholas Giamboni from Riverside Sound System to learn about Reggae Against Cancer, Green Hope Foundation, and how to support the cause. As Nicholas puts it, “This is the power of reggae!”

Tell us about Riverside Sound System. Where are you based and what music are you working on?

Riverside Sound System is a sound system based in Switzerland. We are a group of people who love music and love to share music to all, organizing events that are open to everyone. We believe in music and we work in order to create the most inclusive atmosphere as possible, in order to be united as one! Basically, we are all students, so sometimes it is hard to balance studies and music, but we work to establish a solid sound system community.

To confirm the fact that we try to be as inclusive as possible, each one of us is specialized on a particular type of music: from reggae lover to techno, from roots music to DnB, from dub to steppa.

Another important thing is that the sound system has been (and it's still built) by hand by us, following our necessities in order to deliver the best sound depending on the type of the event. But the most important thing is the vibe: if we can establish a good vibe between us and the public, our goal is reached!

Who organized Reggae Against Cancer and what is the program?

This project started from me, because my father is a volunteer at the Green Hope Foundation, but the idea was immediately supported by all the crew. We already helped this foundation by making a little music set during their events, but we wanted to do more than this, especially during a year when children with cancer couldn't go outside the hospital because of COVID-19.

They are children and they discover the world with experiences, and we all agree that being closed in a hospital for a year is not a good experience at all, it's devastating. So, we decided to create a reggae compilation and give all the money made out of it to this foundation, in order to use them to continue working on organizing events in nature for those little warriors.

Is a new album being released?

It's a compilation with 39 songs on it. Some of them are made especially for this project and some are already released but the artists gave us the possibility to use them in this project. So yes, basically it’s a new album, a compilation.

Who are the artists and are all the songs new?

The list of the artists who contributed are:

Addis Pablo, Alpha Steppa, Cookieman Dubolution, Dig This Way & Abeng, Dub Kazman, DubCreator, Kai Dub, Michael Exodus, Michintosh, Natanja, Roberto Sanchez & Linval Thompson, Shampoo More Faya, Sista Habesha, Vibronics, Toroki & Isayah & PiyaZawa, Blue Shepherds Sound System, Don Fe, Ras Hassen Ti & Mr. Ites, Easy Sunset, Monkey Jhayam & Victor Rice, Dreadlock Tales, Jah Ragga, Jah Schulz, SoulLion, Brother Sound, Wise Monkey Lab, ZonaSun, and Kodama.

They are from all over the world: from our region to Japan, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Brazil and so on. This is the power of reggae!

As said, most of the songs are new or are a new mix of an already known song, but some of them are already released and the artists gave them to us.

When is the music being released and how can people purchase and support it?

The compilation will available for six months from our Bandcamp page from April 2nd to October 2nd. There are two possibilities to purchase it.

The first is the digital compilation (39 songs) and the second is the record. This is special to us. We wanted to put at least one song of each artist on it, so we split the compilation in seven different records of 10 and on each record there are four songs.

The record also allows people to purchase the record with the tune they love! Those records are handcut one-by-one and they are made with clear vinyl material. But this is an extra because the central release is the digital compilation of 39 songs.

Is money being raised and for what organization?

At the end of the six months, we will donate all the money made out of this project to the Green Hope Foundation, which is a foundation that organizes sport events and events in nature for children with cancer. We want to create the chance for children to spend quality time in nature with their families and try to live some moments like all the children do, in happiness and love.

There are so many people who help this foundation that the children can really do a lot of things, especially some particular ones like a little helicopter trip or sitting on the fire truck with the sirens. Those children have to make all the experiences possible because they don't have as much time as we have.

Is this the first year of Reggae Against Cancer and what was the inspiration?

Yes, it's the first time we have dived into a project like this. It was really hard to manage especially because we also have university classes, but we are so happy about the endless support that all the people involved on this project gave to us. That was our force to keep going on!

I don't know that there is a real inspiration to do this kind of work: I think it is more about the time when you realize that if you have food, you have the chance to study, you have a family who loves you and you have good health, you are a very, very lucky human! Sometimes we forget that we have so much of a chance to be able to live a normal life. Yes, of course all of us have some problems, but by chance most of the time we can solve them, but those children don't always have the chance to solve them.

It's clear that there are so many and different categories of people who suffer, for political, bad health, no food to eat, violence and so on, but we wanted to start doing something and we decided to start by giving to this foundation.

I hope to be able to do more projects like this, because helping people, respecting each and every one and being united as one is so important if we really want to try to make this world a better place to live.

Each one can make the difference every day and there isn't a difference which helps more than others. The important thing (to me) is that we have to gather together and be respectful, because when we are together in harmony good things start spontaneously.

Cheer Up by Addis Pablo is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.