Limited edition 140g aqua green marble vinyl pressing.
Protoje asked Zion I Kings to create alternate musical soundscapes for the songs on "In Search of Lost Time" in the vein of traditional roots reggae. The production approach to "In Search of Zion" is an expansive take on the classic roots reggae sound. Zion I Kings melted down the forward-thinking sounds of the original album and recast modern roots reggae gold, indelibly etching the fundamental live bass, drums, organ, guitars and horns into the genre's landscape with a fresh, ambient and soulful twist. Laced with pounding kick drums, slapping snares, deep basslines, lush synthesizers and dub influences throughout the project, Zion I Kings' seasoned sound brought new dimensions to Protoje's lyrics and songwriting.
The accompanying dub mixes allow each song's unique production approach to shine, with the traditional dub brushes of delays and reverbs working alongside more modern filtering and digital mixing techniques that bridge Jamaican dub mixing tradition with the currency of Now.
In Search of Zion is a testament to fortitude, creating a roots reggae healing journey that cycles through a complete range of sound, color and emotion
A reggae revivalist with more of a roots influence than most, Jamaican singer Protoje rose to independent success in 2011 with the release of his debut full-length, The Seven Year Itch, and its hit single "Rasta Love," which featured Ky-Mani Marley. Subsequent hits helped elevate his status as an international reggae star and his sound took on more elements of rap and hip-hop on later releases like 2020's album In Search of Lost Time and 2022's Third Time's the Charm.
Born Oje Ken Ollivierre, music was a constant in his early life, with his mother, Lorna Bennett, having scored a hit in 1972 with a reggae version of "Breakfast in Bed" and his father, Mike Ollivierre, a calypso singer from Saint Vincent. Protoje's first release, the 2005 mixtape Lyrical Overdose, Vol. 1, was more overtly hip-hop-influenced, though he began to work toward a reggae/roots sound over the next few years with his cousin, producer Don Corleon. Beginning with the 2009 track "Arguments," he issued a steady diet of singles in advance of his 2011 full-length debut, The Seven Year Itch. One of the album's singles, "Rasta Love" featuring Ky-Mani Marley, became an international hit, elevating his status as a budding star. Following the 2012 mixtape This Is Protoje, he delivered his follow-up album, 2013's The 8 Year Affair, which yielded another hit, "Kingston Be Wise," and charted throughout Europe and the U.S. Protoje's third album, 2015's Ancient Future, proved to be his breakout and, two weeks after its release, sat atop the Billboard reggae chart thanks in part to the Chronixx collaboration "Who Knows." A five-song EP, Royalty Free (Side B), was released as a free download on the singer's birthday in June 2016. Working again with producer Winta James and featuring a second collaboration with Chronixx in "No Guarantee," Protoje returned in 2018 with his fourth album, A Matter of Time, kicking off a series of introspective albums loosely based around the concept of time. It was followed in 2020 by his acclaimed fifth album, In Search of Lost Time. Featuring guest appearances from Popcaan, Koffee, Lila Iké, and American rapper Wiz Khalifa, it saw Protoje exploring more social and political issues than before. Closing out this informal trilogy of albums was 2022's Third Time's the Charm.~ Timothy Monger & David Jeffries