BLECHREIZ Berlin + Dreadskin Kick Box

BLECHREIZ Berlin

1983–2023: And Let There Be Ska
As one of the leading acts on the European ska scene, this 8- to 10-piece band from Berlin has long held a prominent position with its distinctive sound and its electrifying
shows. 
Ever since a handful of enthusiasts decided to pick up their own instruments in West Berlin in the summer of 1983, BLECHREIZ has been touring the stages 
across Europe.
In their early days in the mid-1980s, BLECHREIZ’s sound was heavily influenced by British Two-Tone, punk, and new wave bands; however, the band 
immediately focused on songs they composed, wrote the lyrics for, and arranged themselves—songs with which they also achieved their greatest successes. 
Cover versions of well-known ska songs were interspersed throughout their setlist or were heavily reworked variations of, for example, Jamaican ska classics. 
BELCHREIZ is best known, however, for their original songs and their electrifying live performances. They’ve even contributed their own
saxophone-driven “Bumble Bee,” the ironic ska ballad “16 Pets,” and their version of the workers’ song “Which Side Are You On?”—all of which have become modern classics 
to the scene.

Don’t Fight – Dance!
Ska has also always been music for skinheads. Blechreiz has consistently sympathized with anti-racist and anti-fascist skinheads and the worldwide 
anti-racist movement SHARP (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice / Skinheads Against Racism) and has always taken a clear stand against 
xenophobia and exclusion. 
In their song “Gewalt regiert” (“Violence Rules”), written in response to racist riots, BLECHREIZ sends a clear message against the far right

DREADSKIN KICK BOX

play traditional reggae and ska to get people dancing and partying...

Their musical history, under the name The Mood a.k.a., dates back to the late ’80s, when the Stuttgart-based band, along with a handful of other groups like No Sports, Busters, and Blechreiz, were among the pioneers of ska in Germany. Back then, they played gigs at ska festivals alongside international greats like The Skatalites, Desmond Decker, and Laurel Aitken. The Mood’s last release was on Brixton Records/Bilbao: The Mood a.k.a. – 100% Soul Grown.

As a musician in reggae bands, Dreadskin has always gained a wealth of experience working with African and Jamaican musicians and has produced several riddims for Jamaican and international artists. Dreadskin is featured with a track on the very first German dancehall compilation, “Riddim in Exile” (Helmut Phillips), thanks to a connection made by Dr. Ring Ding himself.

Dreadskin was a co-founder of Lucky Punch Soundsystem and, along with Freddie Krüger’s Kilamanjaro Sound, was the first to bring a Jamaican soundsystem to Stuttgart.

For the past 9 years now, he’s been playing reggae one-drop on his kickbox, singing, and—thanks to a few technical innovations—also playing bass and drums on the guitar. A looper handles the bassline.

Li Wunsch takes solos on the melodica and organ and, among other things, creates even more excitement on stage with soundsystem effects. She is also a founding member of The Mood a.k.a. and has been a fixture in the ska and reggae underground ever since.

So there’s plenty to see and hear live; if the band is lucky, the audience will even join in on the vocals.

Every year, the duo hits up their favorite venues in cities like Berlin, Hanover, and Stuttgart, but they also love to tour extensively in the “provinces.”

DREADSKIN KICK BOX’s musical journey has taken them all over Ireland and as far as Spain, among other places. They’ve toured with skinhead reggae legend Roy Ellis, and there might be a few concerts with old friends again this year.